BANCROFT 

LIBRARY 

<• 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


DAVID   PATTEN   KIMBALL,    1877. 


Life  of  David  P.  Kimball 

and  Other  Sketches 


By  Solomon  F.  Kimball 


Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

The  Deseret  News 

1918 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


FOREWORD 

With  the  facilities  for  food,  transportation  and 
travel,  and  for  education  and  classified  occupations, 
universally  provided  in  our  day,  the  generation 
now  living  can  little  appreciate  the  inconveniences, 
troubles,  and  even  sufferings  and  hardships,  that 
were  endured  by  the  noble  men  and  women  who 
conquered  the  West,  and  who,  by  their  sacrifices, 
provided  for  the  temporal  comforts  we  of  today 
enjoy. 

These  imperfect  pages  give  us  a  glimpse  of  some 

of  the  ups  and  downs  in  the  life  of  one  man  who 

was   a   typical  pioneer   frontiersman,   and   seek   to 

portray  a  scattered  few  of  the  thrilling  incidents 

-J      of  his  strenuous  career. 

As  with  all  the  Latter-day  Saints  who  took  part 
in  the  settlement  of  the  west,  faith  in  God  and  in 
the  restoration  of  the  gospel,  held  him  to  his  vig- 
orous tasks,  enabled  him  triumphantly  to  conquer 
CZ  obstacles,  and  was  the  underlying  force  of  his 
achievements.  Unlike  many  other  early  settlers, 
however,  who  were  much  older  than  he  was,  he  rep- 
resented the  characteristics  of  the  second  genera- 
tion type — seemingly  rough,  in  some  respects  and 
ways,  but  having  hearts  and  souls  tuned  to  service, 
love  and  helpfulness. 

This   sketch  is   fondly  inscribed  to   his   memory 


iv  FOREWORD 

by  his  loving  sons,  and  his  companion  brother. 
Other  sketches  herewith,  are  inserted  to  fill  the 
allotted  space,  and  we  trust  will  prove  neither  un- 
interesting nor  unprofitable  to  the  reader. 

THE  AUTHOR. 
Salt  Lake  City,  March,  1918. 


CONTENTS 

Life  of  David  P.  Kimball 1 

A  Worthy  Prophet 73 

Ancestry  of  Heber  C.  Kimball 81 

An  Eventful  Life 89 

Spiritual-Mindedness  99 

Results  of  Sabbath-Breaking 107 

A  Miraculous  Escape 117 

A  Blessing  in  Disguise 121 

Patriarchal  Blessings  125 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 


By  His  Brother,  Solomon 


After  the  mob  had  driven  the  Saints  from  their 
Missouri  homes,  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  family  re- 
moved to  a  place  called  Commerce,  afterwards 
named  Nauvoo,  the  famous  gathering  place  of 
God's  people  in  Illinois. 

With  the  logs  of  an  old  stable,  he  built  a  small 
shack,  and  covered  it  as  best  he  could  with  material 
at  hand.  It  had  no  floor  nor  chinking,  but  notwith- 
standing he  moved  his  family  into  it.  On  the  night 
of  August  23,  1839,  while  a  fearful  storm  was  rag- 
ing, his  wife,  Vilate,  gave  birth  to  her  fourth  son. 
The  water  on  the  floor  was  ankle  deep  in  places, 
and  the  wind  in  all  its  fury  blew  sheets  of  water 
over  the  bed  of  Sister  Kimball,  drenching  her  to 
the  skin. 

While  in  this  condition  Sister  Vilate,  whose  life 
was  almost  exhausted,  cried  out  in  anguish,  "He- 
ber, unless  you  can  secure  for  me  a  stimulant  of 
some  kind,  I  will  die  before  morning."  Her  lov- 
ing husband,  realizing  the  seriousness  of  her  condi- 
tion, lost  no  time  in  visiting  the  surrounding  camps 
in  search  of  the  desired  medicine.  But  he  was 
compelled  to  return  empty  handed,  soon  after  the 
child  was  born. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

Not  long  after  this  affecting  incident  occurred, 
Brother  David  W.  Patten,  president  of  the  Council 
of  Twelve  Apostles,  was  killed  by  a  ruthless  mob. 
He  was  a  man  whom  the  women  of  "Mormondorrf 
almost  idolized;  hence,  Sister  Vilate  named  her 
newly-born  son  David  Patten.  As  he  grew,  the 
child  showed  traits  of  unusual  intelligence,  in  view 
of  which  she  penned  the  following  lines  for  the 
benefit  of  her  husband  who  was  on  his  second  mis- 
sion to  England : 

LITTLE    DAVID 

Our  darling  little  David  P. 
Is  just  as  sweet  as  he  can  be ; 
He  surely  is  the  finest  lad 
That  you  and  I  have  ever  had. 

His  eyes  are  black,  his  skin  is  fair, 
His  features  good,  and  brown  his  hair ; 
He's  just  as  fat  as  butter,  too, 
We  therefore  think  that  he  will  do. 

The  martyrdom  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  Patri- 
arch Hyrum  followed  a  few  years  after  the  expul- 
sion of  the  Saints  from  Missouri.  During  the  win- 
ter of  1845-46,  the  people  were  once  more  driven 
from  their  comfortable  homes.  In  a  wagon  that 
had  been  fitted  out  for  the  occasion  little  David, 
who  was  now  a  lad  of  seven,  in  company  with  his 
mother  and  the  other  children,  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi river  on  the  ice  to  join  the  Camp  of  Israel  in 
the  western  wilds.  They  suffered  many  privations 
during  the  next  few  months. 


4  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

After  traveling  some  five  hundred  miles  over  the 
trackless  plains  of  Iowa,  they  reached  the  western 
banks  of  the  Missouri  river,  where  the  body  of  the 
Church  remained  for  the  winter  and  until  their 
leaders  might  select  a  home  for  them  further  west. 
The  newly-constructed  town  was  called  Winter 
Quarters,  and  was  afterwards  named  Florence,  a 
name  it  has  retained  until  this  day. 

During  the  latter  part  of  May,  1848,  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  at  the  head  ^>f  one  hundred  wagons,  con- 
taining his  numerous  family,  relatives,  friends,  with 
provisions  enough  to  last  a  year,  bade  farewell  to 
his  Winter  Quarters  home  and  continued  on  the 
thousand-mile  journey  to  the  west. 

Before  starting,  David's  father  presented  him 
with  a  beautiful  little  mare  named  Shab  and  a  new 
saddle,  which  pleased  the  boy  very  much.  His 
faithful  little  animal  carried  him  safely  from  the 
Missouri  river  to  the  Salt  Lake  Valley,  where,  in 
company  with  his  father's  family,  he  arrived  on  the 
22nd  day  of  September,  1848. 

During  the  next  few  years  David's  time  was 
spent  in  herding  cows,  attending  school,  running 
errands  and  doing  odd  things  in  general.  As  soon 
as  he  was  old  enough,  his  father  entrusted  him  with 
a  team,  and  the  remainder  of  his  unmarried  days 
were  spent  in  various  kinds  of  work  that  kept  him 
constantly  busy. 

David  P.  Kimball,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  had 
developed  into  as  fine  a  specimen  of  manhood  as 
could  be  found  among  the  people.  Being  of  a  spir- 


t 


I 

i 


6  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

itual  minded  nature  he  possessed  the  gift  of  proph- 
ecy to  a  remarkable  extent,  though  not  at  all  pre- 
tentious over  such  matters.  Having  been  born 
while  his  grief-stricken  parents  were  passing 
through  serious  hardships,  he  naturally  partook  of 
the  spirit  by  which  they  were  actuated  and  the 
conditions  by  which  they  were  surrounded.  This 
undoubtedly  went  far  towards  qualifying  him  for 
the  hard  and  trying  mission  he  was  destined  to 
fulfil. 

He  was  a  descendant  of  the  Pilgrim  fathers.  His 
grandsires  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the 
brave  patriots  whose  struggles  made  ours  the  most 
glorious  nation  on  earth.  Taking  these  facts  into 
account,  how  could  he  be  anything  else  than  brave ! 
He  was  naturally  intelligent,  honest,  truthful,  vir- 
tuous, God-fearing  and  as  tender-hearted  as  a  child. 
Of  course,  he  was  not  as  polished  as  the  young- 
men  of  this  generation,  for  he  had  but  little  time  to 
attend  school,  or  enjoy  the  comforts  and  tender 
training  of  home.  He  was  a  good  story-teller  and 
could  thrill  the  listener  in  every  nerve  while  relat- 
ing his  exciting  experiences.  He  was  cheerful  un- 
der the  most  trying  circumstances,  and  complaints 
were  never  heard  from  his  lips.  He  was  liberal  to 
a  fault,  and  always  ready  to  aid  and  comfort  those 
who  needed  help.  His  great  faith,  zeal,  earnest- 
ness and  devotion  to  principle  marked  him  as  an 
extraordinary  man. 

Probably  no  greater  act  of  heroism  was  ever  re- 
corded in  the  annals  of  history  than  that  performed 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  K1MBALL  7 

by  David  P.  Kimball  and  his  twenty-seven  asso- 
ciates who,  on  the  morning  of  October  7,  1856, 
went  from  the  City  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  to  the 
relief  of  the  fifteen  hundred  belated  hand-cart  emi- 
grants who  were  caught  in  the  early  snows  of  a 
severe  winter,  hundreds  of  miles  from  human  hab- 
itation, without  food  and  without  shelter.  By  their 
indefatigable  labor  these  brave  mountain  boys  were 
instruments  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord  in  saving  thir- 
teen hundred  of  that  number.  Had  it  not  been  for 
their  heroic  efforts  not  enough  emigrants  would 
have  survived  to  tell  the  tale.  The  greatest  heroes 
of  them  all  were  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  his 
bosom  companions,  George  W.  Grant  and  C.  Allen 
Huntington. 

When  the  Martin  handcart  company  came  to  the 
first  crossing  of  the  Sweetwater,  west  of  Devil's 
Gate,  they  found  the  stream  full  of  floating  ice, 
making  it  almost  impossible  to  cross  on  account  of 
the  strong  current.  The  snow  was  eighteen  inches 
deep  on  the  level,  and  the  wind  blew  a  perfect  hur- 
ricane. The  stream  which  they  were  about  to 
cross  was  waist  deep  in  places,  and  more  than  a 
hundred  feet  wide  by  actual  measurement.  To 
cross  that  mountain  torrent  under  such  conditions 
seemed  to  them  nothing  short  of  suicide,  for  nearly 
one-sixth  of  their  number  had  already  perished 
from  the  effects  of  crossing  North  Platte,  eighteen 
days  before.  They  believed  that  no  earthly  power 
could  bring  them  through  that  place  alive,  and 
reasoned  among  themselves  that  if  they  had  to  die 


Upper  Row — C.  Allen  Huntington,  Geo.  W.  Grant  and 
David  P.  Kimball,  the  three  heroes  who  carried  the 
Martin  company  across  the  Sweetwater. 

Second  Row — Ephraim  K.  Hanks  and  Charles  F.  Decker, 
chiefs  of  western  scouts,  who  crossed  the  plains  from 
Salt  Lake  City  to  the  Missouri  river  more  times  than 
any  other  men.  Whenever  the  authorities  of  the 
Church  sent  an  important  message  to  England  during 
the  winter  season,  these  men  were  always  chosen  to 
make  the  hazardous  journey. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  9 

it  was  useless  to  add  to  their  suffering  by  the  per- 
petration of  such  a  rash  act  as  crossing  that  treach- 
erous stream.  They  had  walked  hundreds  of  miles 
over  an  almost  trackless  plain,  pulling  carts  as  they 
went,  and  after  making  such  tremendous  sacrifices 
for  the  cause  of  truth,  to  lay  down  their  lives  in 
such  a  dreadful  manner  was  awful  to  contemplate. 
They  became  alarmed  and  cried  mightily  unto  the 
Lord  for  help,  but  apparently  received  no  answer. 
All  the  warring  elements  of  nature  appeared  to  be 
against  them,  and  the  spirit  of  death  itself  seemed 
to  be  in  the  very  air. 

After  these  freezing,  starving  emigrants  had 
given  up  in  despair,  after  all  their  hopes  had  van- 
;shed,  after  every  apparent  avenue  of  escape 
seemed  closed,  David  P.  Kimball,  George  W. 
Grant  and  C.  Allen  Huntington,  members  of  the 
relief  party  from  Salt  Lake  City,  came  to  the  res- 
cue, and  to  the  astonishment  of  all  who  saw,  car- 
ried nearly  every  member  of  that  ill-fated  hand- 
cart company  across  that  icy  stream.  The  strain 
was  so  terrible,  and  the  exposure  so  great  that  in 
later  years  all  of  the  boys  died  from  the  effects  of 
it.  When  President  Brigham  Young  heard  of  this 
heroic  act,  he  wept  like  a  child,  and  later  declared 
publicly  "that  act  alone  will  insure  David  P.  Kim- 
ball,  George  W.  Grant  and  C.  Allen  Huntington 
an  everlasting  salvation  in  the  Celestial  Kingdom 
of  God,  worlds  without  end." 


'42 


, 

<^> 

II 


~  I 


1C 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  11 

These  heroes  went,  on  missions  sent, 
To  rescue  pilgrims  that  were  late ; 

With  heavy  loads,  they  "broke"  the  roads, 
From  Salt  Lake  down  to  Devil's  Gate. 

Met  starving  Saints,  with  travel  faint, 
Pulling  hand-carts  through  the  snow, 

All  through  November  and  December ; 
These  were  dreadful  days  of  woe. 

Through  drifting  snow,  these  boys  would  go 
With  freezing  pilgrims  on  their  backs, 

Through  rivers  deep,  through  slush  and  sleet ; 
And  o'er  the  hills,  they  "broke"  the  tracks. 

They  climbed  the  heights,  then  sat  up  nights 
Nursing  the  sick  and  burying  dead ; 

Their  hearts  would  bleed  when  they  would  feed 
Poor,  helpless  children  without  bread. 

With  dauntless  will  they  fought  on  still, 
Saving  the  lives  of  all  they  could ; 

Though  they  could  feel  their  strength  of  steel 
Waning  for  want  of  needed  food. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1857,  David  P.  Kimball 
was  married  to  Caroline  M.,  the  eldest  daughter 
of  Thomas  S.  and  Albina  M.  Williams.  Caroline 
was  born  April  24,  1843,  in  Nauvoo,  111.,  and  with 
her  parents  joined  the  famous  "Mormon"  Battalion 
and  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  Valley,  July  29,  1847.  She 
and  her  husband  spent  their  honey-moon  on  Ante- 
lope Island,  where  a  week  or  more  was  enjoyed  in 
horseback  riding,  visiting  places  of  interest,  and 
in  having  a  jolly  good  time. 


Caroline  M.,  wife  of  David  P.  Kimball,  1877. 


LIFE  OF  DAVTD  P.  KTMBALL  13 

After  returning  from  their  wedding  trip  they 
took  up  their  abode  with  David's  mother  where 
they  remained  for  a  year  or  more.  David  contin- 
ued to  work  for  his  father,  teaming,  farming,  get- 
ting out  wood,  hauling  grists  to  and  from  the  mill, 
and  taking  a  general  interest  in  looking  after  his 
father's  affairs.  While  this  work  was  going  on, 
his  wife  was  busily  engaged  in  the  common  duties 
of  the  home,  cooking,  sewing,  spinning  and  pre- 
paring herself  to  take  charge  of  her  own  home. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1858,  David  looked 
after  his  father's  Grantsville  ranch,  which  was  no 
small  affair.  Several  hundred  head  of  horses  and 
cattle  that  pastured  on  the  nearby  ranges  were  to 
be  looked  after  during  the  summer  months,  and 
then  driven  onto  the  Kimball  Island,  fourteen  miles 
north,  where  they  remained  for  the  winter  and  un- 
til they  were  returned  to  the  ranch  in  the  spring. 
Every  year  two  or  three  hundred  tons  of  hay  were 
cut  with  scythes,  cured  and  put  up.  It  was  stacked 
and  fed  to  oxen  that  had  been  engaged  in  hauling 
freight  across  the  western  plains. 

The  Skull  Valley  Indians  were  quite  trouble- 
some in  those  days.  On  several  occasions,  while 
David  had  charge  of  his  father's  ranch,  Indians 
stole  large  herds  of  stock.  When  the  neighboring 
ranchers  learned  of  the  depredations,  they  hur- 
riedly .sought  the  trail  of  the  red-skin  thieves.and 
followed  them  until  the  stolen  animals 'were  recov- 
ered. On  several  occasions  David  took  part  in 
expeditions  of  this  kind,  and  was  quite  successful 
in  escaping  the  bullets  of  the  red  man. 


David  P.  Kimball,  London,   1865. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KTMBALL  15 

One  bright  morning  during  the  month  of  May, 
1863,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  in  company  with 
other  elders,  started  on  a  mission  to  Great  Britain. 
After  a  two  months'  hard  journey  over  the  plains, 
they  reached  the  Missouri  river,  and  several  clays 
later  arrived  in  New  York  City.  While  there  a 
big,  burly-looking  fellow  who  learned  they 
were  "Mormons"  commenced  to  berate  them  in  a 
very  insulting  manner.  David,  who  was  not  accus- 
tomed to  such  treatment,  gave  him  a  good  trounc- 
ing, which  he  richly  deserved. 

Soon  the  elders  were  on  board  a  first-class  ves- 
sel bound  for  Europe,  and  after  a  rough  voyage  of 
several  weeks  they  reached  Liverpool,  England. 
In  that  country  three  years  were  spent  in  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  baptizing  converts,  establishing 
new  branches  of  the  Church,  and  performing  a 
work  that  brought  joy  and  satisfaction  to  the 
hearts  of  hundreds  of  people. 

After  being  honorably  released  from  his  mission, 
David,  in  company  with  his  brothers,  Charles  and 
Brigham,  visited  the  Paris  Exposition,  where  they 
spent  a  number  of  days  in  viewing  the  sights.  They 
also  visited  other  European  cities  of  note,  enjoy- 
ing the  educational  advantages  to  their  hearts  con- 
tent. Returning,  they  enjoyed  a  few  days'  rest  in 
England,  when  David  and  Charles  boarded  a  home- 
ward bound  vessel  and  soon  reached  their  native 
land. 

Then  came  the  treat  of  their  lives — a  visit  to 
their  parents'  old  homes  in  the  State  of  New  York, 


16  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

where  they  were  royally  received  by  their  relatives 
and  friends.  They  also  visited  Kirtland,  Ohio;  In- 
dependence, Missouri,  and  Nauvoo,  111.,  the  once 
beautiful  city  of  their  birth.  Following  the  old 
"Mormon"  trail  through  the  State  of  Iowa,  they 
soon  reached  Winter  Quarters,  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Missouri  river,  where  they  enjoyed  a  few 
days'  rest.  Here  they  boarded  one  of  Ben  Halli- 
day's  overland  stages,  and  after  about  a  week's  hard 
driving  they  reached  home  in  time  to  attend  the 
April,  1866,  Conference. 

Following  a  few  weeks  of  needed  rest,  David 
was  called  on  another  mission;  this  time  to  fight 
Indians  in  what  was  known  as  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  but  his  father  said:  "No;  Brother  Brigham,  I 
will  send  my  son  Solomon  in  his  place/'  which  he 
did.  This  gave  David  time  to  provide  for  the  wants 
of  his  family,  straighten  out  his  business  affairs, 
and  prepare  for  the  next  year's  work  in  hauling 
freight  from  the  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road to  Salt  Lake  City. 

About  the  first  of  May,  1867,  David,  at  the  head 
of  his  small  freight  train,  started  on  his  eastern 
journey,  arriving  at  the  terminus  of  the  railroad 
four  weeks  later.  After  nearly  a  month's  wait,  the 
delayed  goods,  which  he  had  contracted  to  haul 
across  the  plains,  arrived,  and  two  months  later 
he  reached  home.  His  trip  was  successful,  which 
encouraged  him  to  attempt  another  trip  that  year, 
but  the  most  experienced  freighters  in  the  country 
told  him  that  the  season  was  so  far  spent  that  such 


M-j 


18  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

an  undertaking  would  be  hazardous  in  the  extreme. 

A  Mr.  White,  who  owned  a  freight  train  that 
arrived  from  the  east  about  the  same  time  that 
David's  reached  its  destination,  offered  his  outfit 
to  the  latter  for  a  reasonable  sum.  Without  delay, 
the  bargain  was  closed.  This  transaction  put  David 
in  possession  of  fifteen  first-class  mule  teams  that 
were  in  pretty  good  order. 

The  merchants  of  Salt  Lake,  as  an  inducement 
for  Mr.  Kimball  to  make  the  trip,  offered  almost 
double  the  usual  price,  provided  he  would  deliver 
the  goods.  He  figured  that  the  railroad  would  be 
completed  as  far  west  as  Cheyenne,  by  the  time  he 
reached  there,  and  that  he  could  drive  that  five 
hundred  miles  within  a  month;  that  it  would  re- 
quire one  week  to  load  the  wagons,  and  five  weeks' 
hard  driving  to  reach  home.  The  roads  being  in 
splendid  condition  and  the  feed  good,  he  decided 
to  make  the  trip. 

Xear  the  last  of  August,  David  started  on  his 
hazardous  journey,  counting  that  if  all  went  well 
with  him  he  would  be  able  to  make  the  round  trip 
before  snow-fall ;  but  if  not,  there  was  no  telling 
what  would  happen.  He  took  plenty  of  grain  along 
for  his  animals,  leaving  portions  at  the  various  sta- 
tions along  the  road.  He  made  light  drives  dur- 
ing the  first  few  days,  thus  enabling  him  to  get 
everything  in  good  working  order. 

When  old  time  freighters  were  asked  what  they 
thought  of  David's  venturesome  undertaking,  they 
generally  scratched  their  heads,  looked  wise,  but 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  19 

said  nothing.  Other  experienced  westerners  pre- 
dicted all  kinds  of  trouble  for  him.  However,  when 
his  faithful  fifteen  six-mule  teams,  loaded  to  the 
guards,  drove  up  to  Walker  Brothers'  Salt  Lake 
store  and  commenced  to  unload  the  goods,  there 
was  great  astonishment  among  the  doubters. 

After  a  few  weeks'  rest,  indefatigable  David 
hitched  up  his  teams  again,  and  bore  off  to  Los 
Angeles,  California,  after  more  merchandise.  Ac- 
cording to  the  "Deseret  Evening  News"  of  fifty 
years  ago,  he  passed  through  St.  George,  Utah, 
near  the  first  of  January,  and  a  little  more  than 
three  months  later  he  returned  to  Salt  Lake  City 
with  another  trainload  of  goods.  By  this  time, 
he  had  made  profit  enough  to  pay  his  debts,  with 
sufficient  means  left  to  purchase  more  mules  and 
wagons.  He  was  now  ready  for  anything  that 
might  be  required  in  that  line  of  labor. 

The  year  1868  was  known  throughout  this  whole 
Rocky  Mountain  region  as  the  year  of  railway  en- 
terprise. The  screech  of  the  Union  Pacific  locomo- 
tive was  heard  upon  the  plains,  and  the  great  road 
was  soon  to  penetrate  the  everlasting  hills.  Prom- 
inent Utah  men  contracted  to  build  about  two  hun- 
dred miles  of  track,  but  were  unable  to  proceed 
until  supplies  could  be  brought  from  the  terminus 
afar  in  the  plains  of  Wyoming. 

The  mountain  streams  during  the  spring  breaks 
became  raging  torrents.  Toll  roads,  bridges,  and 
ferries  were  so  numerous  along  the  route  that  it 
would  have  bankrupted  the  ordinary  freighter  to 


Charles  S.,  son  of  Hebcr  C.  and  Vilate  M.  Kimball. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  21 

patronize  all  of  them.  Hence,  David  P.  Kimball, 
wide  awake  to  the  situation,  began  the  journey 
before  winter  was  fairly  over,  and  under  the  cap- 
taincy of  his  Brother  Charles  they  made  their  way 
to  the  railroad  terminus,  then  some  five  hundred 
miles  to  the  east  of  Salt  Lake  City. 

While  the  teams  were  gone,  David  and  his 
brother  Heber  contracted  with  Joseph  Nounnan, 
the  banker,  to  build  about  ten  miles  of  railroad 
track  on  the  Bear  River,  a  difficult  piece  of  work 
that  would  require  much  time  and  patience  to  com- 
plete. 

During  the  latter  part  of  July  the  Kimball  teams, 
about  twenty-five  in  number,  all  heavily  loaded 
with  railroad  supplies  for  Mr.  Nounnan,  arrived 
at  the  latter's  headquarters  on  Yellow  Creek.  A 
few  days  later,  about  one  hundred  scraper  teams 
were  piling  up  dirt  in  a  fashion  that  caused  even 
experienced  railroad  men  to  look  on  in  wonder  and 
amazement.  It  required  about  two  months  and  a 
half  to  finish  the  job  which,  when  done,  gave  com- 
plete satisfaction. 

As  soon  as  the  Nounnan  contract  was  completed, 
the  Kimball  Brothers  moved  their  outfit  onto  the 
Brigham  Young  contract,  at  the  head  of  Echo 
Canyon,  and,  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
plow  and  scraper  teams,  made  good  headway,  not- 
withstanding the  roughness  of  the  country.  The 
task  was  difficult,  both  for  the  boys  and  the  teams, 
of  course,  but  the  company  paid  enough  more  for 
the  work  to  make  it  worth  while. 


22  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

Having  finished  this  contract,  they  took  another 
job  further  down  the  canyon,  which  kept  them 
busy  until  late  that  fall.  They  then  went  to  work 
for  the  railroad  company,  who  were  paying  exhor- 
bitant  prices  for  labor,  since  they  were  racing  with 
the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  for  certain 
advantages  which  would  accrue  to  the  company 
which  should  first  reach  Ogden. 

IThat  winter  sufficient  hay  could  not  be  purchased 
at  any  price,  which  compelled  the  boys  to  feed  their 
animals  solely  on  shelled  corn.  As  a  result  it  was 
no  unusual  thing  mornings  to  find  a  half  dozen 
or  more  dead  mules  lying  about  camp.  Crismon 
Brothers  alone  lost  about  fifty  head. 

As  soon  as  the  railroad  reached  Ogden,  early 
in  May,  1869,  the  occupation  of  the  Utah  freight- 
ers was  gone.  Their  outfits  were  sold  to  the  high- 
est bidders,  and  they  invested  their  means  in  other 
enterprises.  David  P.  Kimball,  who  was  in  lowly 
financial  circumstances  three  years  before  that 
time,  through  his  energy  and  hard  labor,  had  ac- 
cumulated what  was  then  considered  a  fortune, 
which  reached  nearly  the  one  hundred  thousand 
dollar  mark. 

Through  force  of  untoward  circumstances,  the 
Saints  who  had  settled  in  the  Bear  Lake  Valley, 
in  1864,  had  become  almost  discouraged.  The  far- 
sighted  Brigham  Young,  comprehending  the  situ- 
ation, decided  upon  a  plan  which  he  was  confident 
would  bring  good  results.  It  was  the  choosing  of 
David  P.  Kimball  to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  set- 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  23 

demerits  in  that  part  of  the  Church,  and  giving  him 
the  privilege  of  selecting  a  hundred  or  more  experi- 
enced men  to  accompany  him  in  the  development 
of  the  country.  \Yhen  the  plan  was  matured  and 
David  had  selected  the  men,  their  names  were 
called  at  a  public  meeting,  as  was  the  custom  in 
those  days,  and  they  were  sustained  in  the  enter- 
prise by  the  people. 

On  the  19th  of  July,  1869,  President  David  P. 
Kimball  started  on  his  Bear  Lake  journey  to  the 
north.  His  outfit  consisted  of  three  six-mule  teams 
loaded  with  household  goods,  merchandise,  ma- 
chinery, and  other  necessaries,  such  as  would  be  re- 
quired in  the  building  of  a  new  country.  He  also 
took  along  with  him  about  fifty  head  of  cattle,  and 
a  like  number  of  horses  and  mules.  This  action 
caused  considerable  stir  among  the  Saints  of  Zion, 
resulting  in  a  migration  of  numerous  families  who 
had  not  been  called  to  the  mission,  who  also  made 
their  homes  in  that  section  of  the  country. 

As  soon  as  Brother  Kimball  reached  Paris, 
Idaho,  he  purchased  several  valuable  lot?,  located 
in  the  extreme  north  end  of  the  settlement.  He 
lost  no  time  in  preparing  for  winter,  which  gener- 
ally set  in  about  the  first  of  November.  He  soon 
had  his  family  comfortably  housed  in  a  four-roomed 
building,  and  two  months  later  his  large  and  com- 
modious barn,  sheds  and  corrals  were  completed. 
While  this  work  was  going  on,  his  hired  help  cut 
and  stacked  about  three  hundred  tons  of  hay  and 
hauled  sufficient  wood  to  serve  the  needs  of  his 


24  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

family  through  the  winter.  This  is  part  of  the 
work  accomplished  by  him  in  the  remarkably 
short  time  of  three  months,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
duties  that  occupied  the  attention  of  his  wide- 
awake mind  in  other  directions. 

Before  leaving  Salt  Lake  City,  he  sent  east  for 
a  full  set  of  brass  band  instruments,  for  among 
the  men  he  had  selected  for  the  Bear  Lake  mis- 
sion there  were  several  musicians.  Neither  did 
he  overlook  the  string  band  proposition,  and  a  num- 
ber of  men  who  went  with  him  were  familiar  with 
that  class  of  instruments.  By  the  time  winter 
made  its  appearance,  the  Bear  Lake  settlements 
were  as  a  consequence  blessed  with  music  that 
would  have  done  credit  to  a  much  older  country. 

When  spring  came,  President  Kimball  who,  in 
the  meantime,  had  made  himself  acquainted  with 
the  country's  needs,  went  to  work  in  earnest  to 
better  the  condition  of  the  people  over  whom  he 
had  come  to  preside.  He  united  the  Paris  settlers 
in  the  building  of  a  sawmill  near  the  head  of  Paris 
canyon,  and  also  a  first-class  grist  mill  several  miles 
below.  He  then  invested  a  portion  of  his  means  in 
building  a  tannery.  He  also  furnished  consider- 
able means  towards  the  stocking  of  the  Paris  Co-op 
store,  with  a  line  of  goods  of  which  the  people  stood 
sorely  in  need.  Under  his  wise  counsel,  the  people 
built  a  five-pole  fence  from  the  north  to  the  south 
end  of  the  valley,  thus  separating  the  stockrange 
from  most  of  the  farming  and  meadow  lands.  He 
purchased  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  valley,  and 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  25 

placed  in  charge  of  it  a  first-class  farmer  who  had 
come  with  him.  In  other  ways  his  means  were 
liberally  invested,  and  soon  the  settlers  through- 
out that  whole  region  of  country  began  to  feel  the 
benefits  of  the  new  blood  that  had  been  injected 
into  their  financial  veins. 

We  read  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  that  "the  Lord 
gives  men  weaknesses  that  they  may  be  humble," 
and  Brother  David,  like  all  big  and  broad-minded 
men,  had  his  faults.  One  of  them  was  that  as  long 
as  he  had  money  he  gave  his  friends  and  associates 
the  benefit  of  it,  even  when  it  was  against  his  own 
interests  to  do  so.  Having  given  away  to  his  bet- 
ter judgment  in  relation  to  such  matters,  he  soon 
found  himself  in  financial  straits,  which  circum- 
stance naturally  went  hard  with  a  man  of  his  dispo- 
sition. Notes  were  becoming  due,  lawsuits  pending, 
and  the  beneficiaries  who  had  helped  to  bring  about 
this  condition  of  things  were  among  the  first  to 
desert  him.  As  the  saying  goes,  "Trouble  never 
comes  single,"  and  it  was  so  with  David.  Things 
continued  to  go  from  bad  to  worse  until  he  became 
thoroughly  discouraged  and  decided  to  return  to 
his  Salt  Lake  home. 

Soon  after  President  Brigham  Young  was  made 
acquainted  with  these  facts,  he  went  to  Paris,  Ida- 
ho, and  at  a  stake  conference  held  the  next  day,  the 
Saints  and  the  sinners  who  had  gathered  to  hear 
him  were  made  to  understand  that  the  man  whom 
he  had  sent  to  preside  over  that  valley  had  not  been 
sustained  by  the  people  as  he  should  have  been. 


26  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

\Yhen  he  drove  into  Paris  from  the  north,  he  found 
improvements  made  by  Brother  Kimball  that 
would  be  an  honor  and  credit  to  any  community, 
but  as  he  proceeded  on  his  way  through  the  town 
he  beheld  the  same  old  dirt-covered  huts  that  were 
built  before  he  visited  the  place  years  ago.  He  said 
that  he  had  known  Brother  David  from  his  infancy 
up  to  the  present  time,  and  for  many  years  had 
looked  upon  him  as  one  of  the  choice  men  of  Zion. 
That  if  the  Saints  of  that  valley  had  appreciated 
his  worth,  and  stood  by  him  financially  and  other- 
wise, this  condition  of  things  might  never  have  oc- 
curred. He  stated  also  that  for  some  time  it  had 
been  the  unanimous  sentiment  of  the  First  Pres- 
idency that  David  should  become  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Apostles,  but  through  the  spirit  of 
greed  and  opposition  manifested  by  certain  indi- 
viduals towards  him,  he  was  sorry  to  say  that  these 
plans  had  been  frustrated.  All  things  considered,  he 
would  release  Brother  David  P.  Kimball  from  the 
presidency  of  the  Bear  Lake  mission,  and  he  asked 
that  the  blessings  of  the  Lord  attend  him  wherever 
he  might  go. 

Before  President  Young  closed  his  remarks, 
many  people  in  the  congregation  were  weeping. 
It  was  certainly  a  day  of  regret  and  lamentation 
for  them,  for  they  realized  now  that  it  would  be  a 
long  time  before  they  were  presided  over  by  a  man 
who  would  make  the  sacrifices  in  their  behalf  that 
Brother  David  P.  Kimball  had  made. 

As  soon  as  David  had  disposed  of  his  Bear  Lake 


President  Brigham  Young. 


28  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

property  and  paid  his  debts,  he  and  his  family  re- 
turned to  their  Salt  Lake  home,  where  they  were 
royally  received  by  their  relatives  and  friends. 
After  some  weeks  spent  in  looking  over  the  situa- 
tion, Brother  Kimball,  with  what  means  he  had  left, 
purchased  from  his  father's  family  the  old  Kimball 
grist  mill,  on  North  Temple  street,  between  State 
and  Main.  This  proved  to  be  a  valuable  invest- 
ment, and  soon  after  the  purchase  enabled  him  to 
move  his  family  into  a  comfortable  home. 

However,  managing  a  common  old  grist  mill  was 
too  tame  a  job  for  a  man  of  David  P.  Kimball's 
versatility  and  capacity.  He  therefore  began  to 
search  for  pastures  new.  About  this  time  there 
was  much  discussion  about  the  Salt  River  Valley, 
in  Arizona.  It  was  held  forth  that  the  region  of 
country  thereabout  was  one  of  great  opportunity. 
He  therefore  decided  to  dispose  of  his  Salt  Lake 
property  and  make  Arizona  his  future  home.  Be- 
fore doing  so  he  sought  the  counsel  of  President 
Brigham  Young  upon  the  subject,  and  the  pioneer 
colonizer,  without  hesitation,  advised  him  to  go. 
This  plan  having  been  decided  upon,  the  great 
"Mormon"  leader,  who  had  always  been  a  friend 
to  David,  called  David  to  go  as  a  missionary. 

David  sold  his  home  and  grist-mill  to  the  high- 
est bidder,  and  prepared  for  his  Arizona  mission. 
He  had  been  told  that  cattle  were  bringing  fabulous 
prices  in  the  new  country,  so  he  decided  to  make 
the  journey  with  ox-teams.  He  bought  three  first- 
class  wagons  and  a  traveling  carriage,  which  he 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  29 

had  fitted  up  for  the  occasion.  At  Nephi,  the  then 
terminus  of  the  Utah  Southern  Railroad,  he  bought 
ten  yoke  of  the  best  oxen  that  could  be  found,  also 
about  twenty  head  of  cows.  He  then  returned  to 
Salt  Lake  to  get  the  balance  of  his  outfit,  which 
was  to  be  taken  to  Nephi  on  the  cars.  As  soon  as 
President  Young,  who  was  the  leading  spirit  in  the 
control  of  the  railroad,  learned  this,  he  instructed 
the  superintendent  to  ship  David's  belongings,  in- 
cluding his  family,  to  Nephi  free  of  charge,  which 
was  done. 

Brother  Kimball,  with  his  family  and  splendid 
outfit,  was  soon  ready  for  the  start  south  from 
Nephi.  On  the  eve  of  his  departure,  imagine  Da- 
vid's joy  and  satisfaction  in  beholding  President 
Brigham  Young,  who  had  made  a  special  trip  to 
Nephi  to  see  him  off.  It  was  the  considerate 
thoughtfulness  of  a  magnanimous  leader,  which 
David  was  not  slow  to  recognize  and  appreciate. 

After  giving  David  some  valuable  instructions, 
President  Young  placed  his  hands  upon  his  head 
and  gave  him  a  blessing,  which  fairly  made  the 
Arizona  missionary's  nerves  tingle.  He  then 
blessed  Sister  Kimball  and  the  children,  and  bade 
them  farewell.  That  was  the  last  time  that  David 
saw  his  dear  friend  President  Brigham  Young,  who 
passed  to  the  other  side  a  little  more  than  a  month 
later. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  July  14,  1877,  David  P; 
Kimball  and  family,  accompanied  by  his  brother 
Solomon  and  Edward  E.  Jones  and  family,  started 


30  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

on  their  eight-hundred-mile  journey  to  the  South. 
They  reached  St.  George  about  the  middle  of  Au- 
gust. They  had  learned  by  this  time,  through  sad 
experience,  that  they  had  made  the  mistake  of 
their  lives  in  starting  with  cattle,  but,  of  course, 
it  was  now  too  late  to  change  the  situation. 

The  road  for  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  ahead 
was  very  bad.  Water  and  feed  were  also  extremely 
scarce.  However,  they  worried  along  until  they 


Ediwird  /:.  Jones  and  wife,  wlw  accompanied  David  P. 
Kinihall  on  his  journey  to  Arizona,  in 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  31 

reached  Pierce's  Ferry,  on  the  Colorado  River, 
about  one  hundred  miles  south  of  St.  George. 
Here  they  were  compelled  to  remain  a  few  days  in 
order  to  rest  their  animals.  While  at  this  place  an 
Indian,  who  had  been  sent  from  St.  George  by 
Brother  David  H.  Cannon,  brought  the  "Deseret 
News,"  containing  an  account  of  President 
Young's  death.  This  sad  message,  in  connection 
with  the  troublesome  times  they  were  passing 
through,  multiplied  their  sorrows.  It  was  a  great 
shock  to  Brother  Kimball,  and  he  could  not  have 
felt  worse  had  it  been  his  own  father. 

The  quicksands  along  the  river  bank  at  this  point 
made  it  dangerous  for  the  cattle  when  they  came 
to  drink,  and  on  several  occasions  they  had  to  be 
pulled  out  of  the  treacherous  sand  to  save  them 
from  being  buried  alive.  It  was  also  a  bad  place 
for  rattlesnakes,  but  fortunately  none  of  the  stock 
were  bitten  by  them. 

As  soon  as  the  animals  were  sufficiently  rested, 
another  start  was  made,  this  time  on  one  of  the 
roughest  roads  over  which  ox  teams  ever  traveled. 
It  was  through  what  was  called  the  "Grand  South 
Gulch  of  the  Colorado  River."  Every  foot  of  the 
way,  for  twenty  miles  or  more,  lay  over  rough  bed- 
rock. By  the  time  the  teams  emerged  from  the 
head  of  that  rocky  gulch,  the  oxen  were  so  foot- 
sore they  could  scarcely  walk. 

Driving  about  ten  miles  further,  they  came  to 
Cane  Springs,  where  they  found  plenty  of  feed  and 
water.  Here  thev  remained  for  a  month  or  more. 


32  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

until  their  worn  and  footsore  animals  were  able  to 
continue  on  the  way.  Two  miles  south  of  the 
spring  lived  a  small  band  of  Hualpai  Indians,  who 
were  terribly  wrought  up  in  their  feelings  when 
they  found,  as  they  believed,  that  the  white  man 
had  taken  possession  of  their  rich  grazing  lands. 

In  a  remarkably  short  time  after  the  Kimballs 
had  settled  in  camp,  the  old  chief,  dressed  in  his 
best,  with  a  look  that  bespoke  his  feelings  better 
than  words  could  express,  came  to  interview  them. 
He  began  by  haranguing  the  bystanders  in  regular 
Indian  fashion,  at  the  same  time  swinging  his  arms 
and  pointing  to  the  mountains,  hills  and  plains.  He 
was  able  to  make  it  known  sufficiently  and  most 
forcibly  to  all  present  that  unless  the  company  re- 
moved and  thus  relieved  the  situation,  some  one 
of  the  company  would  certainly  lose  his  scalp. 

As  soon  as  the  old  fellow  had  completed  his  ad- 
dress, Brother  Kimball,  who  had  no  hair  to  spare, 
led  him  to  the  table,  where  he  spent  an  hour  or 
more  in  feasting  upon  the  good  things  placed  be- 
fore him.  Then  came  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  soon 
the  old  man  was  wending  his  way  homeward  as 
one  satisfied  with  everything  his  heart  could  de- 
sire. 

Before  leaving  Nephi,  the  sixteen  yoke  of  oxen 
that  belonged  to  the  Kimball  party  had  been  shod, 
but  the  last  two  hundred  miles  of  road  had  worn 
the  shoes  out,  and  the  result  was  that  the  feet  of 
the  animals  were  so  tender  that  they  could  scarcely 
walk.  It  was  more  than  a  hundred  miles  to  the 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  33 

nearest  blacksmith  shop,  and  the  first  seventy  miles 
of  that  distance  was  over  a  barren  desert.  Supplies 
were  running  short,  winter  was  near  at  hand,  and 
things  began  to  look  serious  for  the  Kimball  party. 

While  facing  this  undesirable  condition,  a  happy 
thought  passed  through  Brother  Kimball's  mind. 
It  was  to  send  the  old  chief  to  Mineral  Park  after 
shoes  and  nails.  The  distance  by  road  was  one 
hundred  and  five  miles,  and  there  was  but  one  place 
along  the  route  where  water  could  be  obtained.  It 
would  be  a  hard  trip  on  the  old  man,  of  course,  but 
if  he  was  successful  in  carrying  out  the  instructions 
given  him,  it  meant  a  good  deal  to  the  Kimball 
party.  If  he  failed,  however,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
tell  what  would  happen ! 

After  the  subject  had  been  discussed  from  va- 
rious standpoints,  the  aged  Hualpai  was  entrusted 
with  a  full  set  of  instructions  to  the  Mineral  Park 
blacksmith,  and  he  was  given  thirty  dollars  in  cash 
to  pay  for  the  nails  and  shoes.  He  was  also  fur- 
nished with  a  can  of  water  and  enough  hardtack 
and  jerked  beef  to  last  him  until  he  returned.  On 
the  day  of  his  departure,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
eaten  his  breakfast  and  had  his  morning  smoke,  he 
bade  farewell  to  his  palefaced  brethren  and  started 
on  his  two-hundred-and-ten-mile  jaunt. 

Before  starting  on  his  journey,  the  old  chief,  who 
knew  the  country  from  A  to  Z,  left  the  impression 
that  he  would  be  back  within  ten  days,  provided  he 
had  to  wait  no  longer  than  three  days  for  the  black- 
smith to  complete  his  work.  Some  of  the  company 


34  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

censured  Mr.  Kfmball  for  placing  so  much  confi- 
dence in  the  old  fellow,  but  David,  who  was  a  man 
of  discernment,  knew  that  the  chief  would  be  true 
to  his  trust,  even  if  it  cost  him  his  life. 

On  the  seventh  day  from  the  time  he  started  on 
his  perilous  journey,  just  before  sundown,  a  dark 
figure  was  seen  by  members  of  the  Kimball  camp, 
working  its  way  through  the  deep  grass  in  the  dis- 
tance. It  was  thought  by  some  of  the  company  to 
be  a  wild  beast  of  some  kind.  At  first,  only  little 
attention  was  paid  to  it,  but  as  it  drew  nearer,  all 
eyes  were  turned  in  that  direction.  It  finally  took 
the  form  of  a  man,  which  caused  a  general  sensa- 
tion throughout  the  camp.  Everybody  by  this  time 
was  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectancy,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments their  surprise  was  complete  when  the  old 
man  came  limping  into  camp  with  thirty  pounds 
of  ox-shoes  and  nails  lashed  to  his  back. 

It  was  difficult  to  believe  that  it  was  the  same 
man,  for  he  had  dwindled  almost  to  skin  and  bones. 
His  belt,  which  contained  seven  holes,  had  been 
drawn  to  the  limit.  He  was  so  reduced  in  flesh 
and  strength  that  it  required  several  days  to  restore 
him  to  his  normal  condition. 

The  next  day  after  his  arrival  the  ox-shoeing 
was  begun  in  real  earnest.  It  was  no  easy  task, 
for  every  ox  had  to  be  thrown  and  tied.  After  the 
oxen  were  shod,  their  feet  were  so  tender  that  it 
required  considerable  turpentine  which,  luckily,  the 
camp  possessed,  to  remove  the  soreness.  Within  a 
week  from  the  time  the  old  man  returned,  the  Kim- 
ball  party  were  ready  for  another  start. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 


35 


On  the  second  day  of  October,  1877,  David  P. 
Kimball,  at  the  head  of  his  little  company,  con- 
tinued on  his  way ;  this  time  over  a  seventy-mile 
desert  marked  only  by  a  dim  wagon  trail.  For  the 
next  three  days  and  nights  man,  woman,  child  and 
animals  were  tested  to  the  limit.  It  was  a  life  and 
death  struggle  for  them  all,  and  had  it  not  been 
for  an  Overruling  Power,  working  in  their  behalf, 
not  one  of  them  would  have  lived  to  tell  the  tale. 

About   eleven   o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  4th, 


o 


o 


Lola  and  Effa,  daughters  of  David  P.  Kimball,  1877. 


36  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

they  struck  a  sandy  wash  and  lost  their  way.  The 
children  were  crying  for  water,  and  humans  as  well 
as  animals  were  famishing.  What  to  do  under  such 
conditions  was  enough  to  drive  the  ordinary  man 
insane,  but  their  wise  leader,  who  on  other  occa- 
sions had  passed  through  similar  experiences,  was 
not  easily  discouraged.  Well  versed  in  the  wisdom 
and  instinct  of  animals,  under  such  conditions,  he 
gave  orders  to  the  drivers  to  unyoke  their  cattle 
and  give  them  full  liberty  to  go  wherever  they 
wanted  to.  His  past  experience  had  taught  him 
that  they  would  find  water  if  it  was  anywhere  to 
be  found.  He  also  had  two  of  the  strongest  men  in 
the  company,  his  brother  Solomon  and  Edward  E. 
Jones,  mount  horses  and  follow  the  thirsty  and 
tired  animals  in  any  direction  which  they  might  go. 

These  instructions  were  carried  out  to  the  letter, 
and  soon  the  famishing  herd  of  horn  stock,  with 
their  heads  lifted  high,  started  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion, as  rapidly  £$  'their  tired  limbs  could  carry 
them.  The  men  on  horseback  followed.  .  Every  lit- 
tle distance  they  passed  animals  of  the  herd  that 
had  given  out  on  the  way,  but  the  men  continued 
to  follow  the  main  herd  until  nearly  daylight,  when 
suddenly  they  came  to  a  beautiful  spring  of  water. 
The  scene  that  followed  can  better  be  imagined 
than  described!  Within  two  hours  from  the  time 
the  strongest  animals  had  reached  the  spring  a 
number  of  those  left  behind  came  staggering  along. 
Others  had  died. 

After  a  few  hours  rest  the  men  drove  the  cattle- 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  K1MBALL  37 

back  to  camp,  a  distance  of  about  ten  miles,  and 
were  overjoyed  to  learn  that  David  had  found  the 
Hackberry  water,  two  miles  away,  which  was  the 
means  of  saving  the  lives  of  the  campers.  The 
water  here  was  in  a  deep  well,  which  doubtless 
accounts  for  the  animals  not  scenting  it.  If  the 
Kimball  party  had  discovered  the  nearby  water  that 
night  it  would  have  prevented  the  death  of  many  of 
their  cattle,  to  say  nothing  of  the  trouble  it  caused 
them  in  other  directions.  Water,  in  that  part  of 
the  country,  is  so  scarce  that  one  may  travel  from 
fifty  to  sixty  miles  in  almost  any  direction  without 
finding  it,  a  fact  which  shows  the  danger  lurking 
in  Arizona  deserts  to  strangers  traveling  without 
a  guide. 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Kimball's  four  horses 
could  not  be  found,  and  their  disappearance  caused 
great  alarm  in  camp,  as  the  loss  of  these  animals 
under  such  trying  circumstances  was  a  very  serious 
matter.  For  nine  days  following,  the  men  folks 
scoured  the  country  for  thirty  miles  around,  but 
not  a  trace  of  them  could  be  found.  Finally  the 
Indians  took  up  the  hunt,  and  on  the  eleventh  day 
from  the  time  the  animals  were  lost,  the  Indians 
found  them  on  Table  Mountain,  where  they  had 
been  without  water  during  that  time.  Their  con- 
dition when  found  was  pitiable  beyond  description. 
Two  of  them  never  recovered  from  the  effects. 
There  was  but  one  place  where  the  horses  could 
climb  to  the  top  of  that  mountain.  This  they  had 
found,  but  after  they  reached  the  flat,  they  were 


38  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

unable  to  retrace  their  steps,  other  descents  be- 
ing too  steep  and  rocky.  Hence,  also,  the  Kimball 
party  were  unable  to  track  them. 

Hackberry  was  an  old,  deserted  mining  camp, 
and  a  California  company  had  just  started  it  up 
again.  Mr.  Kimball  and  companions  here  traded 
what  cattle  they  had  left  for  horses  and  mules,  and 
remained  there  about  two  years  in  order  to  get  an- 
other outfit,  so  that  they  might  continue  on  their 
way. 

All  the  supplies  for  this  camp  were  brought  up 
the  Colorado  river  on  steamboats  to  Hardysville, 
which  is  two  miles  south  of  Call's  Landing,  from 
which  place  the  "Mormons"  of  southern  Utah  at  one 
time  obtained  their  supplies.  Hackberry  lies  about 
seventy-five  miles  northeast  of.  this  place,  and  at 
only  three  points  along  this  route  can  water  be 
obtained.  It  was  over  this  road  that  David  hauled 
freight  for  about  two  years,  the  Hackberry  com- 
pany allowing  him  three  dollars  per  hundred.  The 
business  paid  very  well,  as  the  round  trip  could  be 
made  in  a  little  over  a  week. 

By  the  middle  of  September,  1879,  Mr.  Kim- 
ball had  saved  sufficient  means  to  enable  him  to 
continue  on  his  journey.  When  he  reached  Pres- 
cott,  he  contracted  with  the  merchants  of  that 
place  to  haul  one  hundred  thousand  feet  of  lumber 
from  a  saw  mill  to  the  town.  This  occupied  several 
months  of  his  time.  While  here,  he  made  .the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  Mr.  Bryan,  who  offered  him  three 
dollars  a  hundred  to  haul  a  stampmill  from  Walnut 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  39 

Grove  into  the  Prescott  Mountains.  The  tempta- 
tion was  so  great,  owing  to  the  shortness  of  the 
haul,  that  he  accepted  the  offer.  From  the  Grove 
to  the  mine  the  distance  was  only  eighteen  miles. 

After  loading  his  teams  with  sufficient  supplies  to 
last  three  months,  he  moved  his  outfit  over  to  Wal- 
nut Grove,  where  he  went  to  work  on  his  contract. 
Few  men  had  a  wider  experience  in  handling  teams 
than  David,  but  he  learned  many  new  lessons  along 
these  lines  before  his  contract  was  completed.  He 
had  three  first-class  six-horse  teams,  and  his  com- 
panions, Solomon  F.  Kimball  and  Edward  E.  Jones, 
each  had  one.  Two  tons  of  machinery  was  loaded 
onto  each  wagon,  and  bright  and  early  the  follow- 
ing morning  the  start  was  made.  After  a  hard 
day's  drive  they  were  highly  delighted  with  the 
fact  that  they  had  covered  at  least  one-third  of  the 
distance  to  the  Tiger  mine.  That  was  making 
money  so  fast  that  they  could  hardly  sleep  that 
night  for  thinking  about  it ! 

Another  start  was  made  the  next  morning,  but 
before  they  had  gone  far  they  came  to  a  mountain 
that  was  very  nearly  perpendicular.  After  Captain 
Kimball  had  looked  over  the  situation,  he  had  ten 
span  of  horses  hitched  to  the  first  wagon,  which 
meant  two  hundred  pounds  to  the  horse,  and  then 
the  work  began.  Every  man  was  at  his  post,  some 
blocking  wheels,  others  whooping  up  the  leaders, 
and  every  driver  in  the  lot  yelling  at  the  top  of  his 
voice.  The  distance  to  the  crest  of  the  hill  was 
about  a  quarter  cf  a  mile,  and  by  dark  the  five 


40  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

wagons  were  landed  on  the  summit.  Two  miles 
were  made  that  day.  This  was  making  money  so 
slowly  that  they  could  hardly  sleep  that  night  for 
thinking  about  it! 

The  next  morning  they  continued  their  journey, 
this  time  over  a  much  better  road;  two  miles  of  it 
being  on  down  grade.  Six  miles  were  covered  be- 
fore dark,  making  thirteen  miles  which  they  had 
traveled  since  they  left  home  three  days  before. 
That  meant  that  five  miles  only  lay  between  them 
and  the  mine,  but  they  little  realized  what  was  yet 
ahead  of  them ! 

On  the  fourth  day  they  early  came  to  a  rocky 
hill,  called  "Hell,"  even  to  look  at  which  made 
them  perspire.  It  required  every  team  in  the  out- 
fit to  haul  a  load  to  the  top.  It  was  so  steep  and 
rocky  that  not  more  than  half  of  the  animals  were 
able  to  stand  on  their  feet  at  the  same  time.  Many 
of  the  strongest  chains  were  broken  before  that 
day's  work  was  over,  and  they  had  gone  only  two 
miles. 

After  another  hard  day's  drive  over  hills  and 
rocks,  the  Tiger  mine  was  finally  reached.  It  was 
located  on  one  of  the  topmost  peaks  of  the  Pres- 
cott  range  of  mountains,  some  eight  or  ten  thou- 
sand feet  above  sea  level,  and  afforded  a  splendid 
view  of  the  Salt  River  and  Gila  Valleys  to  the 
south.  The  altitude  of  the  mountain  from  this 
point  to  the  valley  below  is  not  less  than  six  or 
seven  thousand  feet,  and  the  descent  is  almost 
perpendicular.  The  Kimball  party  unloaded  their 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  41 

wagons  that  night  and  the  next  day  drove  home 
in  less  than  seven  hours.  -The  following  day  was 
a  Sunday,  and  they  made  it  a  day  of  rest  in  very 
deed.  After  six  days  of  hard  work,  even  the  jaded 
animals  showed  their  appreciation  of  the  change  as 
they  lay  stretched  out  beneath  the  shady  trees  of  a 
walnut  grove.  After  two  months  of  strenuous  work, 
the  Kimball-Bryan  contract  was  completed  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  Mr.  Kimball  then 
moved  his  family  and  outfit  to  Kirkland  Valley, 
about  twenty-five  miles  northwest,  where  he  re- 
mained until  spring. 

By  the  first  of  May,  1880,  all  arrangements  had 
been  made  by  David  to  move  his  family  to  the  Salt 
River  Valley,  in  order  to  fill  the  mission  to  which 
he  had  been  called  three  years  before.  However, 
before  starting  on  his  one-hundred-and-fifty-mile 
journey,  he  made  a  trip  to  Prescott  after  lumber 
which  was  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of  his 
Arizona  home.  Three  weeks  later  he  reached 
Mesa,  then  a  small  "Mormon"  settlement  eighteen 
miles  east  of  Phoenix.  After  looking  over  the  coun- 
try for  several  days,  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
on  the  Salt  River  bottoms,  three  miles  north  of 
Mesa,  at  a  place  called  Jonesville,  and  commenced 
to  build  a  home.  There  were  a  number  of  fam- 
ilies at  the  time  living  in  this  section  of  country 
who  were  members  of  the  "Mormon"  Church,  but 
there  seemed  to  be  no  organization  among  them. 
They  had  neither  meetings  nor  school,  nor  any 
public  place  to  hold  them. 


Zula  Pomcroy,  ivife  of  Solomon  F.  Kimball,  first  school 
teacher  of  Joncsvillc, 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 


43 


In  less  than  a  year  from  the  time  Brother  Kim- 
ball  arrived,  he  purchased  a  piece  of  ground  in  the 
central  portion  of  the  town  and,  with  the  help  of 
the  people,  built  a  meeting  house  that  must  have 
cost  him  not  less  than  one  thousand  dollars.  From 
that  time  on,  Jonesville  had  religious  services  on 
Sundays,  and  a  first-class  school  during  the  week. 

Much  of  David's  time  was  spent  in  freighting 
goods  from  the  Maricopa  railroad  station  to  Pres- 
cott,  lumber  being  hauled  on  the  return  trip. 
While  making  one  of  these  jaunts  during  the  month 
of  November,  1881,  he  was  caught  in  a  snowstorm 
at  Prescott,  resulting  in  a  severe  cold  which 
brought  on  pneumonia  and  lung  fever.  In  a  letter 


Helen  Mar   Whitney  and  her  brother,   Col.  Hcber 
P.  Kimball 


44  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

to  his  sister  Helen,  under  date  of  January  8,  1882, 
he  gives  an  account  of  a  remarkable  experience  he 
passed  through  while  on  his  journey  home.  When 
the  writer  returned  from  Arizona,  in  1886,  he  came 
in  possession  of  this  letter,  and  being  conversant 
with  the  facts  it  contained,  sent  it  to  President 
John  Taylor,  that  he  might  obtain  his  opinion  in 
relation  to  it.  After  reading  the  letter,  President 
Taylor  returned  it  with  instructions  to  have  it  pub- 
lished, as  it  contained  a  true  vision,  and  would 
prove  valuable  among  the  Saints.  Agreeable  to 
these  instructions,  received  from  President  Tay- 
lor, it  was  published  in  a  little  volume  called  "Help- 
ful Visions,"  the  fourteenth  book  of  the  Faith- 
promoting  Series,  and  afterwards  published  as  an 
appendix  to  the  "Life  of  Heber  C.  Kimball."  In 
both  cases  it  was  edited  by  Bishop  Orson  F.  Whit- 
ney. It  is  given  here  just  as  it  came  from  the  pen 
of  Brother  Kimball : 

"On  the  4th  of  November,  I  took  a  very  severe 
cold  in  a  snowstorm  at  Prescott,  being  clad  in  light 
clothing,  which  brought  on  pneumonia  or*  lung 
fever.  I  resorted  to  Jamaica  ginger  and  pepper  tea 
to  obtain  relief  and  keep  up  my  strength  till  I  could 
reach  home  and  receive  proper  care.  On  the  13th 
I  camped  in  a  canyon  ten  miles  west  of  Prescott, 
my  son  Patten  being  with  me.  We  had  a  team  of 
eight  horses  and  two  wagons.  That  night  I  suf- 
fered more  than  death.  The  next  night  we  camped 
at  Mr.  Mclntyre's,  about  twenty  miles  farther  on. 
I  stopped  there  two  nights  and  one  day,  during 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  45 

which  time  I  to^k  nothing  to  drink  but  pepper  tea. 
On  the  16th  we  drove  to  Black's  ranch,  twenty- 
eight  miles  nearer  home,  and  were  very  comfort- 
ably located  in  Mr.  Black's  house. 

"About  lip.  m.,  I  awoke  and  to  my  surprise  saw 
some  six  or  eight  men  standing  around  my  bed.  I 
had  no  dread  of  them,  but  felt  that  they  were  my 
friends.  At  the  same  time  I  heard  a  voice  which 
seemed  to  come  from  an  eight-square  (octagon) 
clock  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house.  It  com- 
menced talking  and  blackguarding,  which  drew  my 
attention,  when  I  was  told  to  pay  no  attention  to  it. 
At  this  point  I  heard  the  most  beautiful  singing  I 
ever  listened  to  in  all  my  life.  These  were  the 
words,  repeated  three  times  by  a  choir:  'God  bless 
Brother  David  Kimball.'  I  at  once  distinguished 
among  them  the  voice  of  my  second  wife,  Julia 
Merrill,  who  in  life  was  a  good  singer.  This,  of 
course,  astonished  me.  Just  then  my  father  com- 
menced talking  to  me,  the  voice  seeming  to  come 
from  a  long  distance.  He  commenced  by  telling 
me  of  his  associations  with  President  Young,  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  and  others  in  the  spirit  world, 
then  enquired  about  his  children,  and  seemed  to 
regret  that  his  family  were  so  scattered,  and  said 
there  would  be  a  great  reformation  in  his  family 
inside  of  two  years.  He  also  told  me  where  I 
should  live,  also  yourself  and  others,  and  a  great 
many  other  things.  I  conversed  freely  with  father, 
and  my  words  were  repeated  three  times  by  as 
many  different  persons,  exactly  as  I  spoke  them, 


46  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

until  they  reached  him,  and  then  his  words  to  me 
were  handed  down  in  a  like  manner. 

"After  all  this  I  gave  way  to  doubt,  thinking  it 
might  be  only  a  dream,  and  to  convince  myself  that 
I  was  awake,  I  got  up  and  walked  outdoors  into  the 
open  air. 

"I  returned,  and  still  the  spirit  of  doubt  was  upon 
me.  To  test  it  further  I  asked  my  wife  Julia  to  sing 
me  a  verse  of  one  of  her  old  songs.  At  that,  the 
choir,  which  had  continued  singing,  stopped  and 
she  sang  the  song  through,  every  word  being  dis- 
tinct and  beautiful.  The  name  of  the  song  was, 
'Does  He  Ever  Think  of  Me?' 

"My  eyes  were  now  turned  toward  the  south,  and 
there,  as  in  a  large  parquette,  I  beheld  hundreds, 
even  thousands,  of  friends  and  relatives.  I  was 
then  given  the  privilege  of  asking  questions,  and 
did  so.  This  lasted  for  some  time,  after  which 
the  singing  commenced  again,  directly  above  me. 
I  now  wrapped  myself  in  a  pair  of  blankets  and 
went  out-doors,  determined  to  see  the  singers,  but 
could  see  nothing,  though  I  could  hear  the  voices 
just  the  same.  I  returned  to  my  couch  and  the 
singing,  which  was  all  communicative  and  instruc- 
tive, continued  until  the  day  dawned.  All  this  time 
the  clock  I  have  mentioned  continued  its  cursing 
and  blackguarding. 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  were  up  in  due  time  and  got 
breakfast.  I  arose  and  made  my  toilet,  plain  as  it 
was,  and  took  breakfast  with  my  host  and  hostess. 
When  my  boy  got  ready  to  start,  I  went  to  pay  my 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  47 

bill,  and  to  my  surprise  heard  a  voice  say  or  com- 
municate :  'David  Kimball  has  paid  his  bill.'  When 
I  got  into  the  wagon,  my  guards,  or  those  who 
were  around  my  bed  during  the  night,  were  still 
with  me.  My  father  had  told  me  that  he  and  Pres- 
ident Young  and  others  would  visit  me  the  next 
night. 

4i\Ye  drove  on  until  about  11  a.  m.,  when  a  host 
of  evil  spirits  made  their  appearance.  They  were 
determined  to  destroy  me,  but  I  had  power  of  mind 
to  pay  no  attention  to  them,  and  let  them  curse  all 
day  without  heeding  them  any  more  than  possible. 
Five  times  they  made  a  rush  en  masse  to  come  into 
the  wagon,  the  last  one,  where  I  was,  but  were  kept 
off  by  my  friends  (spiritual).  About  2  p.  m.  I  told 
my  boy  to  stop  and  we  would  water  our  horses. 
We  used  for  this  purpose  barrels  that  we  had  along 
with  us.  After  this  I  walked  to  the  west  side  of 
my  wagons,  and  looking  to  the  east,  I  saw  and 
heard  the  evil  spirits  floating  in  the  air  and  chant- 
ing curses  upon  Brigham  Young.  I  saw  two  other 
groups  of  the  same  kind,  but  did  not  hear  them. 
Then  I  looked  to  the  south  and  the  whole  atmos- 
phere was  crowded  with  fallen  spirits,  or  those 
who  had  not  obtained  bodies.  Others  who  tried 
to  torment  me  were  spirits  who  had  lived  upon  the 
earth.  Having  seen  so  many  and  being  compli- 
mented by  my  guard  for  seeing  so  well,  I  became 
a  little  timid  and  asked  my  spiritual  friends  if  they 
had  any  help.  The  answer  was,  'Yes,  plenty.'  I 
now  told  my  boy  to  drive  on — he  was  entirely 


48  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

oblivious  of  all  that  was  taking  place  with  me — 
and  soon  after  I  was  so  exhausted  that  I  fell  into  a 
troubled  sleep  and  must  have  slept  quite  a  little 
while. 

"After  I  awoke  I  seemed  to  be  left  alone,  and  was 
lying  on  my  back,  when,  all  at  once,  I  saw  an  old 
man  and  two  young  girls.  This  vision  coming  on 
me  suddenly,  I  was  startled,  and  finding  my  guard 
gone,  I  jumped  out  of  the  wagon  and  got  up  on 
the  spring  seat  beside  my  boy.  But  I  could  not  get 
away  from  them.  I  was  told  in  a  coarse,  gruff 
voice  that  the  devil  was  going  to  kill  me,  and  that 
he  would  follow  me  night  and  day  until  he  de- 
stroyed me.  I  remembered  the  promise  father  had 
made  me  the  night  before — that  he  intended  to  visit 
me  the  next  evening — and  I  nerved  up  and  tried  to 
pay  no  attention  to  my  persecutors,  but  I  must  con- 
fess I  was  frightened. 

"We  arrived  at  Wickenburg  just  at  sundown. 
The  old  man  and  the  girls  were  tormenting  and 
tantalizing  me  all  the  way,  but  never  coming 
very  near  me.  We  got  supper  and  I  took  a  room 
at  People's  hotel  and  retired  about  10  p.  m.  When 
everything  was  quiet  my  spirit  friends,  eight  in 
number,  returned  and  my  tormentors  were  re- 
quired to  leave.  Soon  after,  a  glorious  vision  burst 
upon  me.  There  were  thousands  of  the  Saints 
presented  to  me,  many  who  had  died  at  Nauvoo, 
in  Winter  Quarters,  on  the  plains,  and  in  Utah. 

"I  saw  Brother  Pugmire  and  many  others  whom 
I  did  not  know  were  dead.  When  my  mother 


Vilatc  M.  Kimball,  mother  of  David  P.  Kimball,  1866. 


50  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

came  to  me  it  was  so  real  and  I  was  so  everjoyed 
that  I  exclaimed  aloud.  So  powerful  was  this  vision 
that  I  asked  President  Young,  who  seemed  to  be 
directing  matters,  three  times  to  relieve  me,  or  I 
would  faint.  A  great  many  others  passed  in  regu- 
lar order,  and  I  recognized  nearly  all  of  them,  and 
was  told  the  names  of  all  I  did  not  know.  My 
father  sat  in  a  chair  with  his  legs  crossed  and  his 
hands  clasped  together,  as  we  have  often  seen  him. 
Those  who  passed  along  had  hidden  him  from  my 
view  till  then. 

"This  scene  vanished,  and  I  was  then  taken  in 
the  vision  into  a  vast  building,  which  was  built 
on  the  plan  of  the  Order  of  Zion.  I  entered  through 
a  south  door  and  found  myself  in  a  part  of  the 
building  which  was  unfinished,  though  a  great 
many  workmen  were  bnsv  upon  it.  My  guide 
showed  me  all  through  this  half  of  the  house,  and 
then  took  me  through  the  other  half,  which  was 
finished.  The  richness,  grandeur  and  beauty  of  it 
defied  description.  There  were  many  apartments 
in  the  house,  which  was  very  spacious,  and  they 
differed  in  size  and  the  fineness  of  the  workman- 
ship, according  to  the  merits  on  earth  of  those  who 
were  to  occupy  them.  I  felt  most  at  home  in  the 
unfinished  part,  among  the  workmen.  The  upper 
part  of  the  house  was  filled  with  Saints,  but  I  could 
not  see  them,  though  some  of  them  conversed  with 
me,  my  father  and  mother,  Uncle  Joseph  Young 
and  others. 

"My  father  told  me  many  things,  and  I  received 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  51 

many  reproofs  for  my  wrong-doings.  Yet  he  was 
loth  to  have  me  leave,  and  seemed  to  feel  very 
badly  when  the  time  came  for  me  to  go.  He  told 
me  I  could  remain  there  if  I  chose  to  do  so,  but  I 
pleaded  with  him  that  I  might  stay  with  my  family 
long  enough  to  make  them  comfortable,  to  repent 
of  my  sins,  and  more  fully  prepare  myself  for  the 
change.  Had  it  not  been  for  this,  I  never  should 
have  returned  home,  except  as  a  corpse.  Father 
finally  told  me  I  could  remain  two  years,  and  to 
do  all  the  good  I  could  during  that  time,  after 
which  he  would  come  for  me ;  he  mentioned  four 
others  that  he  would  come  for  also,  though  he  did 
not  say  it  would  be  at  the  same  time. 

"On  the  18th  of  November,  about  noon,  we  left 
\Yickenburg  (which  is  twenty-two  miles  from 
Black's  Ranch  where  we  stopped  the  previous 
night)  on  our  journey  home.  I  was  exhausted  from 
what  I  had  experienced,  and  could  feel  my  mind 
fast  giving  away,  but  I  had  confidence  that  I  would 
reach  home  alive.  There  were  no  elders  to  admin- 
ister to  me  and  no  kind  friends  to  look  after  my 
wants  except  my  son,  who  had  all  he  could  do  in 
looking  after  eight  horses  and  two  wagons.  As 
my  mind  wandered  and  grew  weaker,  I  was 
troubled  and  led  by  influences  over  which  I  had  no 
power,  and  my  friends,  the  good  spirits,  had  all 
left  me. 

"We  drove  about  twenty  miles  that  afternoon, 
camping  about  eight  miles  from  water,  on  the  Salt 
River  desert,  which  is  about  fifty  miles  across.  Dur- 


52  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

ing  the  fore  part  of  the  night  I  heard  the  horses 
running  as  though  they  were  frightened.  My  son 
was  asleep,  but  I  got  up  and  put  my  overcoat 
across  my  shoulders  and  went  out  where  they  were 
and  got  them  quieted  down.  I  was  about  to  re- 
turn to  the  wagon,  when  that  same  old  man  with 
gray  whiskers,  who  had  tormented  me  before, 
stepped  between  me  and  the  wagons.  He  had  a 
long  knife  in  his  hand.  I  was  frightened  and  fled, 
he  pursuing  me  and  telling  me  he  was  going  to  kill 
me.  What  I  passed  through  I  cannot  describe, 
and  no  mortal  tongue  could  tell.  I  wandered  two 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  Salt  River  desert,  un- 
dergoing the  torments  of  the  damned,  most  of  the 
time,  which  was  beyond  anything  that  mortal  could 
imagine. 

"When  my  mind  was  restored,  and  the  fever 
which  had  raged  within  me  had  abated,  I  found 
myself  lying  on  a  bleak  hill-top,  lost  in  the  desert, 
chilled,  hungered,  thirsty  and  feeble.  I  had  scarce- 
ly any  clothing  on,  was  barefooted,  and  my  body 
full  of  cactus  from  head  to  foot.  My  hands  were  a 
perfect  mat  of  thorns  and  briars.  This,  with  the 
knowledge  that  no  one  was  near  me,  made  me 
realize  the  awful  condition  I  was  in.  I  could  not 
walk.  I  thought  I  would  take  my  life,  but  had  no 
knife  or  anything  to  do  it  with.  I  tried  to  cut  an 
artery  in  my  arm  with  a  sharp  rock  I  had  picked  up, 
hoping  I  might  bleed  to  death,  but  even  this  was 
denied  me.  The  wolves  and  ravens  were  hovering 
around  me,  anxiously  awaiting  my  death.  I  had  a 


State  Senator  Quincy  K.  Kimball,  third  son  of 
David  P.  Kimball. 


54  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

long  stick  and  I  thought  I  would  dig  a  deep  hole 
and  cover  myself  up  the  best  I  could,  so  the  wolves 
would  not  devour  my  body  until  I  could  be  found 
by  my  friends. 

"On  the  night  of  the  21st,  I  could  see  a  fire  about 
twenty-five  miles  to  the  south,  and  felt  satisfied 
that  it  was  my  friends  coming  afer  me.  I  knew  the 
country  where  I  was ;  I  was  about  eight  miles  from 
houses  where  I  could  have  got  plenty  of  water  and 
something  to  eat,  but  my  strength  was  gone  and 
my  feet  were  so  sore  I  could  not  stand  up.  An- 
other long  and  dreary  day  passed,  but  I  could  see 
nothing  but  wolves  and  ravens  and  a  barren  desert 
covered  with  cactus,  and  had  about  made  up  my 
mind  that  the  promise  of  two  years'  life,  made  by 
my  father,  was  not  to  be  realized.  While  in  this 
terrible  plight.,  and  when  I  had  just  about  given  up 
all  hope,  my  father  and  mother  appeared  to  me 
and  gave  me  a  drink  of  water  and  comforted  me, 
telling  me  I  would  be  found  by  my  friends  who 
were  out  searching  for  me,  and  that  I  should  live 
two  years  longer  as  I  had  been  promised.  When 
night  came  I  saw  another  fire  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  me  and  could  see  my  friends  around  it,  but  I 
was  so  hoarse  I  could  not  make  them  hear.  By 
this  time  my  body  was  almost  lifeless  and  I  could 
hardly  move,  but  my  mind  was  in  a  perfect  condi- 
tion and  I  could  realize  everything  that  happened 
around  me. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  at  daylight,  here 
they  came,  about  twenty  in  all,  two  of  my  own 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  55 

sons,  my  nephew  William,  Bishop  E.  Pomeroy, 
John  Lewis,  John  Blackburn,  Wiley  Jones  and 
others,  all  friends  and  relatives  from  the  Mesa,  who 
had  tracked  me  between  seventy-five  and  one  hun- 
dred miles.  I  shook  hands  with  them,  and  they 
were  all  overjoyed  to  see  me  alive,  although  in  such 
a  pitiable  plight.  My  own  feelings  I  shall  not  un- 
dertake to  describe.  I  told  them  to  be  very  careful 
how  they  let  me  have  water,  at  first.  They  rolled 
me  up  in  some  blankets  and  put  me  on  a  buckboard 
and  appointed  John  Lewis  to  look  after  me  as  doc- 
tor and  nurse.  After  I  had  taken  a  few  swallows 
of  water,  I  was  almost  frantic  for  more,  but  they 
wisely  refused  to  let  me  have  it  except  in  small 
doses  every  half  hour. 

"I  had  about  seventy-five  miles  to  ride  home. 
We  arrived  at  my  place  in  Jones  ville.  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  24th  of  November,  when  my  wife  and 
family  took  charge  of  me  and  I  was  tenderly  and 
carefully  nourished.  In  a  few  days  I  was  around 
again.  I  told  my  experience  to  President  McDon- 
ald, Bishop  Pomeroy,  C.  I.  Robson  and  others,  and 
most  of  them  believed  me,  but  my  word  was 
doubted  by  some.  I  told  them  I  had  just  two  years 
to  live,  so  they  could  tell  whether  it  was  a  true 
manifestation  or  not. 

"NoT,T,  clear  sister,  you  have  a  little  of  your 
brother  David's  experience.  I  know  these  things 
were  shown  to  me  for  my  own  good,  and  it  was 
no  dream  but  a  glorious  and  awful  reality.  My 
story  is  believed  by  my  brethren  who  have  respect 


56 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 


for  me.  I  will  console  myself  with  the  knowledge 
I  have  obtained.  Let  the  world  wag  on,  and  let 
hell  and  the  devil  keep  up  their  warfare  against 
the  Saints  of  God.  I  know  for  myself  that  "Mor- 


Darid  Patten,  Jr.,  and  Thos.  S.,  sons  of  David  P.  Kimball 

monism"  is  true.  With  God's  help,  while  I  live,  I 
shall  strive  to  do  good,  and  I  will  see  you  before 
long  and  tell  you  all,  as  it  never  will  be  blotted 
out  of  my  memory. 

"With  kind  regards,  in  which  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren join,  I  remain,  as  ever, 

"Your  affectionate  brother, 

"David  P.  Kimball," 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  57 

On  the  morning  of  November  19th,  when  Patten 
arose  and  missed  his  father  he  thought  probably 
he  had  gone  out  to  hunt  for  the  horses,  and  felt  no 
uneasiness  concerning  him.  He  made  a  fire,  pre- 
pared breakfast  and  waited  some  time,  but  could 
not  see  or  hear  him  anywhere.  The  horses  came 
strolling  into  camp  and  were  tied  up,  fed  and  wa- 
tered. Patten  then  ate  his  meal  and  saddled  a 
horse  and  rode  back  towards  Wickenburg,  until  he 
came  to  a  small  place  called  Seymour  on  the  Has- 
sayampa  but  could  learn  nothing  of  his  father's 
whereabouts.  He  went  back  to  the  wagon  and 
hunted  the*  country  close  around  camp  but 
found  nothing  but  his  father's  overcoat,  which 
was  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  wagon.  It 
being  an  old  camp-ground,  it  was  impossible  to 
find  his  tracks.  He  finally  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  had  gone  towards  home,  so  he  hitched  up 
his  team  and  drove  homeward  until  he  came  to  Mr. 
Calderwood's  at  Agua  Fria  (Cold  Water).  At  this 
place  there  was  a  well  dug  on  the  desert  about 
twenty  miles  from  Salt  River.  Patten  had  traveled 
about  twenty-two  miles  before  reaching  this  point, 
but  was  disappointed  in  not  hearing  anything  of  his 
father.  He  had  traveled  all  night  and  Mr.  Calder- 
wood  was  up  and  around  when  he  arrived.  He 
related  his  story  to  him  and  was  advised  by  him  to 
leave  his  team  there  and  take  the  best  pair  of 
horses,  and  hitch  them  to  his  buckboard  and  go 
on  to  the  Mesa.  Here  he  could  get  help  to  come 
and  hunt  for  the  missing  man.  The  distance  was 


58  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

forty  miles,  which  would  take  all  the  rest  of  the 
day  (the  20th).  He  acted  on  the  advice,  however, 
and  arrived  at  his  destination  at  9  p.  m.  The  news 
was  circulated,  and  in  less  than  two  hours,  twenty 
of  the  best  and  most  experienced  men  at  Mesa  and 
Jonesville  were  on  the  road,  taking  Patten  back 
with  them.  They  also  took  a  wagon  to  carry  water 
and  provisions,  but  most  of  them  were  on  the  best 
of  horses.  They  had  sixty  miles  to  ride,  before 
beginning  the  search,  which  was  accomplished  by 
daylight  next  morning.  After  feeding  their  horses 
and  eating  a  lunch  they  held  a  consultation  and 
agreed  to  abide  by  the  following  fuls.  If  any  one 
of  the  party  found  his  tracks  he  was  to  make  a 
smoke  and  this  would  call  the  others  in  that  direc- 
tion. They  then  started  out  in  different  directions. 
They  scoured  the  country  until  about  noon,  when 
Sern  Sornson  and  Charles  Rogers  found  his  tracks. 
They  supposed  they  were  about  twelve  miles  from 
where  he  was  lost,  and  about  ten  miles  from  Agua 
Fria,  close  to  the  main  road  on  the  south  side. 
They  soon  gathered  some  brush  and  started  a  fire, 
putting  on  plenty  of  green  weeds,  etc.,  to  cause  a 
smoke,  and  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  their 
comrades.  His  tracks  were  followed.  They  wound 
round  and  round,  going  in  no  particular  direction. 
Some  places  he  would  cross  his  tracks  eight  or  ten 
times  in  going  one  hundred  yards,  which  made 
it  quite  difficult  to  follow. 

After  spending  a  part  of  the  afternoon  trailing 
him  up,  the  tracks  finally  took  a  direct  course  lead- 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  59 

ing  to  the  north.  By  this  time  all  the  searching 
party  were  together. 

Another  meeting  was  held  and  the  plan  adopted 
was  for  eight  horsemen,  four  on  each  side  of  his 
tracks,  to  ride  at  a  considerable  distance  apart,  so 
as  to  cut  off  the  track  if  it  turned  to  the  right  or 
left,  and  two  or  three  of  the  best  trailers  to  keep  on 
the  tracks,  while  the  buckboard  and  wagon  fol- 
lowed up.  These  were  out  of  sight  most  of  the 
time,  as  very  good  time  was  made  by  the  trailers 
after  this  plan  was  adopted.  The  ground  was  quite 
soft,  and  those  on  the  trail  would  gallop  their 
horses  for  miles,  but  darkness  soon  put  an  end  to 
their  work  for  this  day,  a  good  thing  for  both  men 
and  animals. 

They  had  traveled  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles 
in  about  twenty  hours.  They  were  working  men 
and  had  plenty  of  strength  to  carry  them  through 
under  all  circumstances.  .  They  camped  on  the 
highest  ground  that  could  be  found  close  by,  and 
made  a  large  fire  which  was  kept  up  all  night  by 
those  on  guard. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see  the  tracks, 
every  man  was  at  his  place  moving  as  fast  as  he 
could  under  the  circumstances. 

This  was  the  morning  of  the  22nd.  One  great 
drawback  they  met  with  that  day  was  that  when 
they  would  come  to  a  deep  ravine  where  water  had 
run  during  rainy  weather,  the  tracks  would  follow 
up  sometimes  for  miles  and  then  continue  in  the 
former  direction.  Places  would  frequently  be 


60 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 


found  in  the  sand  where  the  lost  one  had  dug 
down  for  water  with  his  hands.  Now  and  then 
they  would  find  a  piece  of  his  clothing  and  see 
places  where  he  had  run  into  the  fox-tail  cactus, 
cat's-claw  and  other  thorny  bushes.  One  place  was 
found  where  he  had  broken  off  the  limb  of  a  tree 
for  a  walking  stick.  The  party  followed  his  tracks 
all  day  without  stopping,  only  as  they  were  obliged 
to,  on  account  of  losing  the  trail  or  from  some 
other  cause. 


Crosier  and  Heber  Chase,  sons  of  David  P.  Kimball. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  61 

Darkness  overtook  them  again,  but  nothing 
could  be  heard  or  seen  of  the  missing  man.  They 
slept  on  his  tracks,  keeping  up  a  fire  all  night  as 
before.  His  sons  and  others  could  not  rest,  and 
followed  his  tracks  after  dark  by  striking  matches 
and  putting  them  close  to  the  ground  to  see  if  they 
might  possibly  find  him.  Some  thought  they  could 
hear  a  sound,  but  it  was  so  indistinct  they  could 
not  discern  the  direction  from  which  it  came.  It 
was  indeed  he  who  called,  for  they  were  then  only 
a  few  hundred  yards  from  him,  but  he  was  too 
hoarse  to  make  them  hear.  On  the  morning  of  the 
23rd  at  daylight  his  anxious  friends  were  on  his 
tracks,  and  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when 
Charles  Peterson  saw  him.  He  had  a  long  staff  in 
his  hand,  and  had  raised  up  as  high  as  he  could  get, 
being  on  one  knee  and  the  other  foot  on  the  ground 
and  was  stretching  himself  as  far  as  he  could  and 
looking  eagerly  for  their  arrival.  The  crowd  made 
a  rush,  and  in  a  few  seconds  were  with  him,  Bishop 
E.  Pomeroy  being  the  first.  He  was  in  his  right 
mind  and  knew  all  present,  and  was  glad  to  shake 
them  by  the  hand,  calling  each  by  name.  He  was 
in  good  spirits  and  joked  the  boys  frequently  and 
gave  them  instructions  to  be  careful  in  giving  him 
water,  etc.  There  was  no  water  except  in  a  canteen 
that  had  been  reserved  for  his  especial  use.  The 
company  suffered  themselves  for  want  of  water. 
They  had  traveled  upwards  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours. 

David  had  dug  a  deep  hole  with  his  stick  and 


62  LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 

had  used  his  hands  to  move  the  dirt.  He  said  he 
was  digging  his  own  grave.  He  was  rolled  in 
blankets  and  put  on  the  buckboard.  All  drove  to 
the  nearest  houses,  seven  or  eight  miles  distant, 
on  the  Hassayampa,  where  all  refreshed  themselves 
with  water  and  something  to  eat.  Soon  they  were 
on  the  road  homeward.  They  drove  to  Mr.  Cal- 
derwood's,  which  was  about  thirty  miles,  and 
stayed  all  night.  He  was  very  kind  to  all  and  told 
them  to  help  themselves  to  anything  he  had,  such 
as  hay,  grain  and  food.  He  acted  the  gentleman  in 
every  respect.  A  large  number  of  men  had  also 
left  Phoenix  in  search  of  David,  among  them  the 
U.  S.  marshal,  and  others.  Men  and  Indians  were 
riding  over  the  desert  in  every  direction.  Next 
morning,  the  company  drove  to  Jonesville,  forty 
miles  distant,  where  they  arrived  about  3  p.  m. 

David  was  carried  into  his  house  where  he  was 
surrounded  by  his  loving  wife  and  children. 

When  he  recounted  his  experiences,  he  said  that 
one  thing  that  kept  him  from  choking  to  death  for 
want  of  water,  was  the  clamp  pebbles  which  he  dug 
from  low  ravines  and  held  them  in  his  mouth.  The 
Indians  said  that  no  human  being  could  walk  as 
far  as  he  did,  go  without  water,  and  live  four  days 
and  five  nights.  The  party  that  found  him  said  he 
must  have  walked  at  least  seventy-five  miles,  some 
said  one  hundred. 

He  testified  that  on  the  afternoon  of  the  22nd, 
his  father  and  mother  came  and  gave  him  water 
and  told  him  that  his  friends  would  find  him.  His 


LIFK  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  63 

clothing  was  all  gone  except  his  under  garments, 
which  were  badly  torn. 

Before  leaving  home  on  his  trip  to  Prescott, 
David  had  worked  several  days  fixing  up  his  books 
and  accounts,  and  burning  up  all  useless  papers, 
after  which  he  told  his  wife  that  he  felt  different 
in  starting  on  this  trip  from  anything  he  had  ever 
felt  before.  He  said  .it  seemed  to  him  that  he  should 
never  return.  He  told  her  that  if  this  proved  to 
be  the  case,  he  had  fixed  his  business  up  in  such 
a  shape  that  she  would  have  no  trouble,  and  would 
know  as  much  about  it  as  himself.  She  frequently 
spoke  of  these  curious  remarks,  and  felt  consider- 
ably worried.  When  the  news  came  that  he  was 
lost,  all  was  plain  to  her,  and  she  never  expected 
to  see  him  come  home  alive.  Nothing  could  com- 
fort her  and  she  watched  night  and  day  until  he 
was  brought  home. 

David  was  never  satisfied  with  his  Jonesville 
home,  on  account  of  certain  conditions  that  sur- 
rounded the  place,  and  he  therefore  traded  his  farm 
and  improvements  for  a  home  on  the  Mesa.  When 
he  had  settled  down  in  his  new  quarters,  he  con- 
tracted with  the  government  to  furnish  Fort  Mc- 
Dowell with  eight  hundred  cords  of  wood,  to  be 
delivered  within  a  specified  time.  Instead  of  mak- 
ing twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  dollars  out  of  his 
contract  he  gave  his  friends  and  relatives  the  full 
benefit  of  it. 

A  number  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  Mesa 
were  closelv  connected  with  Brother  Kimball  in 


Thomas  S.  Kimball,  son  of  David  P.  Kimball,  and  his 
wife,  Fannie,  1890. 


LI1  E  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  65 

business  and  religious  affairs,  when  he  was  pres- 
ident of  the  Bear  Lake  Stake  of  Zion,  and  they 
knew  his  worth.  In  fact,  he  became  so  popular 
with  the  people  of  that  community  that  it  caused 
jealousy  among  other  prominent  members  of  the 
Mesa  ward.  He  was  called  afterwards  to  preside 
over  a  small  colony  of  Saints  who  had  settled  near 
the  headwaters  of  the  San  Pedro  river.  This  call 
was  a  great  disappointment  to  David,  in  -many 
ways ;  but,  without  a  murmur,  he  made  the  sac- 
rifice. 

He  now  disposed  of  his  Salt  River  property,  and 
began  his  two-hundred-mile  journey  to  the  south- 
east, to  comply  with  this  new  call.  Reaching  his 
destination,  he  lost  no  time  in  building  a  comfort- 
able home,  and  sooi  surrounded  himself  with  other 
improvements  that  were  an  honor  to  the  commu- 
nity in  which  he  lived.  With  the  help  of  the  peo- 
ple, he  built  a  canal  and  soon  St.  David  was  or- 
ganized into  a  ward.  He  was  chosen  bishop.  He 
later  became  a  member  of  the  county  school  board 
of  that  district,  a  position  he  held  as  long  as  he 
lived. 

The  new  section  of  country,  extending  as  far 
north  as  the  Gila  Valley,  soon  came  into  prom- 
inence, resulting  in  the  organization  of  the  St. 
Joseph  stake  of  Zion,  with  Christopher  Layton  pres- 
ident and  David  P.  Kimball,  first  counselor.  But 
the  latter  was  not  destined  to  hold  that  position 
very  long.  His  days  on  earth  were  fast  drawing 
to  a  close.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  writing 


Hebcr   Chase,   Quince  K.,  and   Thatcher  Kimball,  sons 
of  David  P.  Kimball,  1917. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  67 

to  his  sister  Helen,  under  date  of  Jan.  8,  1882,  he 
made  this  statement:  "Father  finally  told  me  that 
I  could  remain  two  years  longer,  after  which  he 
would  come  for  me,  and  also  mentioned  the  names 
of  four  others  that  he  would  come  for.  I  will  see 
you  before  long,  and  tell  you  all,  as  it  never  will 
be  blotted  out  of  my  memory." 

During  the  fall  of  1883,  David  paid  a  visit  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  to  see  his  relatives  and  friends,  to  whom 
he  confirmed  by  his  own  lips  all  that  his  letter  con- 
tained, and  told  many  other  things  relating  to  his 
remarkable  experience.  He  seemed  a  little  reticent 
to  most  of  his  friends,  and  talked  but  little  of  his 
strange  experience,  feeling  pained  that  so  many 
seemed  to  doubt  his  word,  and  being  unwilling  to 
make  himself  obtrusive.  When  he  bade  his  friends 
farewell,  there  was  something  about  him  which 
seemed  to  say  that  he  was  taking  leave  of  them 
for  all  time.  His  visit,  no  doubt,  was  made  with 
that  object  in  view,  for  it  was  nearly  two  years 
from  the  time  he  was  lost  on  the  desert.  Soon  after 
he  returned  to  St.  David,  almost  the  first  news  that 
came  from  there  was  the  tidings  of  his  death. 

A  letter  from  his  nephew,  Charles  S.  Whitney, 
who  was  then  living  with  him,  written  home  on 
the  22nd  of  November,  1883,  contained  this: 

"Uncle  David  died  this  morning  at  half-past  six, 
easily,  and  apparently  without  a  bit  of  pain.  Short- 
ly before  he  died,  he  looked  up  and  called,  'Father, 
father!'  All  night  long  he  had  called  for  Uncle 
Heber.  You  remember  hearing  him  tell  how 


Monument  of  David  P.  Kimball  and  his  wife  Caroline, 
St.  Daind,  Arizona. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL  69 

grandpa  came  to  him  when  he  was  lost  on  the  des- 
ert, and  how  he  pleaded  for  two  more  years  and  was 
given  that  much  longer  to  stay.  Last  Saturday, 
the  day  he  was  so  bad,  was  just  two  years  from 
the  day  he  was  lost,  and  today  is  just  two  years 
from  the  day  his  father  and  mother  came  to  him 
and  gave  him  a  drink  of  water,  and  told  him  that 
his  friends  would  find  him  and  he  should  live  two 
years  longer.  He  knew  that  he  was  going  to  die, 
and  bade  Aunt  Caroline  goodby,  day  before  yester- 
day." 

During  the  last  two  years  of  his  life  David  re- 
vealed to  three  of  his  personal  friends  the  names  of 
the  four  persons  whom  his  father  had  told  him  in 
vision  that  he  should  come  for,  at  or  near  the  time 
when  he  would  return  for  him.  He  exacted  the 
promise  from  these  friends  (who,  it  seems,  had 
some  doubt  regarding  the  divine  nature  of  his 
vision,  which  doubt  he  was  anxious  to  dispel)  that 
they  would  not  divulge  the  names  of  these  indi- 
viduals until  after  their  death.  The  names,  with 
respective  dates  of  decease,  are  as  follows : 

William  H.  Hooper,  died  December  30,  1882. 
Horace  K.  Whitney,  died  November  22,  1884. 
Heber  P.  Kimball,  died  February  8,  1885. 
William  Jennings,  died  January  15,  1886. 

As  will  be  seen,  the  longest  interval  given  from 
the  death  of  David  P.  Kimball  is  two  years,  one 
month  and  twenty-there  days.  William  H.  Hooper, 
who  was  the  first  of  the  four  to  go,  preceded  David 


70 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  P.  KIMBALL 


by  about  eleven  months,  while  Horace  K.  Whit- 
ney, the  second  to  depart,  followed  him  one  year 
later  to  a  day. 


Viroqne,  an  Indian  girl  presented  by  Thomas  S.  Williams 
to  his  daughter,  Caroline  M.  Kimball,  when 
the  child  ivas  eight  years  of  age.   - 


OTHER  SKETCHES 


A  WORTHY  PROPHET 


Heber  C.  Kimball,  1867. 


A  Worthy  Prophet 

Heber  Chase  Kimball,  prophet,  pioneer,  and  col- 
onizer, was  born  in  1801,  at  Sheldon,  Franklin 
County,  Vermont.  His  fourth  great  grandfather, 
Richard,  was  born  in  1595,  at  Rattlesden,  Suffolk 
County,  England,  and  came  to  America  in  1634, 
on  the  ship  "Elizabeth." 

President  Kimball  was  not  always  understood 
even  by  his  nearest  and  dearest  friends.  The 
greater  the  love  he  had  for  a  man,  the  more  severe 
was  the  test  he  applied  to  that  man.  This  he  did 
for  a  wise  purpose,  just  as  the  Lord,  through  the 
Prophet  Joseph  and  President  Brigham  Young, 
had  tried  him.  He  well  understood  this  principle, 
knowing  that  when  a  righteous  man  is  chided  it 
makes  him  more  humble ;  while  on  the  other  hand,  a 
corrupt  man  becomes  rebellious. 

The  enemies  of  this  remarkable  man,  who  find 
fault  with  him  for  the  blunt  and  forceful  expres- 
sions which  he  made,  should  read  his  history,  and 
then  try  to  imagine  what  they  would  have  done 
under  similar  varying  circumstances  in  which  he 
found  himself.  In  the  first  place,  in  connection 
with  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  general,  figuratively 
speaking,  he  had  been  made  a  football  for  fifteen 
years ;  and  for  no  other  reason  than  that  he  and  they 
were  worshiping  Israel's  God  according  to  the 
light  revealed  to  them  from  the  heavens,  through 


74  OTHER  SKETCHES 

their  great  Prophet  and  leader,  Joseph  Smith.  To 
cap  the  climax,  the  Saints,  with  starvation  staring 
them  in  the  face,  were  driven  fifteen  hundred  miles 
from  their  comfortable  homes,  into  a  howling  wild- 
erness. Then,  before  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  other 
mighty  leaders  had  fairly  established  themselves  in 
this  then  barren  region,  their  persecutors  were 
again  snapping  at  their  heels,  with  the  hope  and 
determination  of  driving  them  into  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

Heber  C.  Kimball  was  a  man  of  character,  deter- 
mination, full  of  vim,  a  natural  born  financier  who 
could  accumulate  wealth  where  an  ordinary  man 
might  starve.  He  was  God-fearing,  as  tender-hearted 
as  a  child,  and  possessed  the  gift  of  healing  to  a  re- 
markable degree.  His  heart  was  filled  with  compas- 
sion towards  all  men,  and  his  soul  was  full  of  love. 
He  was  ready  at  all  times  to  give  counsel  to  the 
weakest  child  that  came  in  his  way,  and  thousands 
of  the  older  members  of  the  Church  remember  him 
with  love  and  respect.  He  was  a  man  of  such  great 
discernment  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  de- 
ceive him.  He  was  an  ardent  lover  of  animals,  and 
had  regard  even  for  the  lower  species. 

This  is  what  President  George  Q.  Cannon  had 
to  say  about  him :  "Heber  Chase  Kimball  was 
one  of  the  greatest  men  of  this  age.  There  was  a 
certain  nobility  about  his  disposition  that  would 
have  made  him  conspicuous  in  any  community.  He 
was  a  man  of  commanding  presence,  with  eyes 
so  keen  as  to  almost  pierce  one  through,  and  be- 


A  WORTHY  PROPHET  75 

fore  which  the  guilty  involuntarily  quailed.  He 
was  fearless  and  powerful  in  rebuking  the  wrong- 
doer, but  kind,  benevolent  and  fatherly  to  the  de- 
serving*. He  possessed  such  wonderful  control  over 
the  passions  of  men,  combined  with  such  wisdom 
and  diplomacy,  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
called  him  "The  peace  maker."  His  great  faith, 
zeal,  earnestness,  devotion  to  principle,  cheerful- 
ness under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  energy, 
perseverance  and  honest  simplicity  marked  him  as 
no  ordinary  man.  He  possessed  great  natural  force 
and  strong  will  power,  yet  in  his  submission  to  the 
Priesthood  and  obedience  to  the  laws  of  God,  he 
set  a  pattern  to  the  whole  Church.  No  man,  per- 
haps, Joseph  Smith  excepted,  who  has  belonged  to 
the  Church  in  this  generation,  ever  possessed  the 
gift  of  prophecy  to  a  greater  degree  than  Brother 
Kimball." 

Apostle  Franklin  D.  Richards,  in  writing  of  Pres- 
ident Kimball's  missionary  work  in  England,  had 
this  to  say :  "The  wonderful  following  and  ingath- 
ering of  souls  at  the  opening  of  the  British  Mission, 
evidenced  the  purity  and  power  of  his  apostleship 
which  was  unexcelled  since  the  awakening  in  Judea 
by  Jesus  and  John.  According  to  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball's  own  estimation,  he  converted  and  baptized 
into  the  'Mormon'  Church  not  less  than  three 
thousand  souls." 

During  the  troublesome  times  at  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
he  stood  so  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  that  that  mighty  leader  recorded  in  his  jour- 


76  OTHER  SKETCHES 

nal  that  Heber  C.  Kimball  was  one  of  the  apostles 
who  had  never  raised  his  hand  against  him;  and 
President  Brigham  Young  declared  at  his  funeral, 
that  he  was  a  man  of  as  much  integrity  as  any 
man  who  ever  lived  upon  the  earth. 

A  number  of  the  most  prominent  Kimballs  of 
the  United  States  have  publicly  declared  that  He- 
ber Chase  Kimball  is  the  greatest  Kimball  that 
America  has  ever  produced,  and  these  eminent 
non-"Mormons"  have  placed  his  history  in  some 
of  the  most  noted  libraries  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada. 

The  subject  of  prayer  was  probably  as  well  un- 
derstood by  him  as  by  any  other  living  man.  When 
in  sore  trouble  he  pleaded  with  the  Lord  like  a 
loving  son  with  his  earthly  father,  and  never  ceased 
praying  till  he  felt  the  Spirit  of  God  burning  in  his 
bosom.  He  often  remarked  that  a  prayer  was 
never  heard  under  ordinary  circumstances  unless 
such  was  the  case. 

Before  family  prayers  he  most  always  made  a 
few  remarks  upon  religious  topics,  or  read  several 
pages  from  some  of  the  standard  works  of  the 
Church ;  then,  before  he  had  prayed  many  minutes, 
those  who  were  present  could  not  only  feel  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  permeating  their  being,  but  at 
times  it  seemed  like  the  whole  room  was  filled 
with  heavenly  beings.  On  such  occasions  it  was  no 
unusual  occurrence  to  see  his  family  and  friends 
with  bowed  heads,  sobbing  as  if  their  hearts  would 
melt  within  them. 


A  WORTHY  PROPHET  77 

The  following  fatherly  advice  given  to  his  chil- 
dren many  years  ago,  shows  still  further  the  integ- 
rity and  nobility  of  character  of  this  mighty  man  of 
God: 

"I  desire  to  speak  to  my  children  this  morning, 
and  while  doing  so  I  pray  that  I  may  be  inspired 
by  the  Holy  Ghost.  My  soul  has  mourned  for  the 
welfare  of  my  children,  and  there  is  no  parent  on 
earth  who  has  more  tender  feelings  for  his  chil- 
dren than  I  have.  When  I  behold  the  great  things 
of  God  and  the  glory  that  awaits  the  righteous,  I 
pray  to  the  Lord  to  bless  and  save  my  children  I 
know  that  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  revealed 
to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  is  true,  for  God  has 
revealed  it  to  me.  Every  man  who  rejects  it  will 
be  damned,  and  those  who  receive  it  will  be  saved. 
Baptism  is  the  sign  of  the  resurrection,  and  it  is  the 
password  whereby  we  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  I  want  my  children  to  observe  these 
things,  for  we  have  come  into  a  dispensation  where 
we  have  got  to  open  the  door  to  receive  all  the 
dispensations  of  old.  iThe  course  I  take  in  this  life 
will  be  handed  down  to  future  generations  by  my 
children.  I  want  the  older  ones  to  set  an  example 
to  the  younger  ones,  and  where  there  is  hardness 
of  heart,  put  it  away.  Sin,  when  cultivated,  brings 
forth  tyranny.  If  you  give  way  to  sin  even  a  little, 
it  will  conceive  in  your  bosom  and  grow.  Let  these 
things  sink  deep  into  your  hearts,  and  if  you  will 
do  so,  they  will  prove  a  blessing  to  you." 


ANCESTRY  OF  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL 


Hcber  C.  Kimball,  in  1867. 


Ancestry  of  Heber  C.  Kimball 

Soon  after  Heber  C.  Kimball  joined  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  his  father's 
family  became  so  embittered  towards  him,  on  that 
account,  that  he  was  unable  to  secure  from  them 
anything  that  would  lead  to  the  discovery  of  his 
ancestry,  placing  him  in  the  humiliating  position 
of  not  even  knowing  the  name  of  his  grandfather. 
He  was  so  disturbed  in  his  mind  over  this  condi- 
tion of  things  that  he  could  hardly  contain  himself. 
This  was  especially  so  after  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith's  inspired  address  on  vicarious  work  for  the 
dead  had  been  given. 

As  soon  as  the  Nauvoo  Temple  was  completed 
he  officiated  in  that  holy  edifice  for  seven  of  his 
deceased  relatives,  including  his  parents;  but  at 
this  point  the  work  for  his  kindred  dead  ceased  for 
want  of  more  names. 

In  1853,  he  employed  a  genealogist  by  the  name 
of  Kane  to  visit  his  relatives  in  the  East  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  records  that  would  enable  him 
to  learn  of  his  grandfather,  and  then  to  continue 
the  search  along  ancestral  lines  as  far  back  as  pos- 
sible. 

In  the  course  of  a  year,  Mr.  Kane  reported  to 
President  Kimball  that  he  was  unable  to  get  ac- 
cess to  his  father's  family  Bible,  in  possession  of 


82  OTHER  SKETCHES 

his  sister  Eliza,  consequently  he  received  no  aid 
from  that  source.  However,  he  had  come  into 
possession  of  other  material  which,  he  claimed, 
proved  that  the  Kimball  family  were  of  Scotch  de- 
scent, and  that  their  ancient  name  was  Campbell 
instead  of  Kimball.  President  Kimball,  having  im- 
plicit confidence  in  Mr.  Kane's  genealogical  abil- 
ity, joyfully  accepted  his  report,  and  the  Scottish 
idea  of  Campbell  prevailed  among  the  Kimball 
family  of  Utah  for  more  than  forty  years  after- 
wards, when  this  theory  was  proved  untrue. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  how  the  minds  of  men 
outside  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  are  moved  upon  by  unseen  powers,  and  un- 
wittingly made  to  assist  those  who  are  trying  to 
observe  the  commandment  to  seek  after  and  do 
work  for  the  dead.  In  1887  (nineteen  years  after 
President  Kimball's  death)  a  glorious  spirit  seemed 
to  permeate  the  minds  of  the  whole-  family,  stir- 
ring them  to  action.  That  same  year  not  less 
than  lour  hundred  of  his  descendants  gathered  at 
Fuller's  Hill  Gardens,  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  such 
a  time  of  rejoicing  as  was  experienced  on  that 
occasion  is  seldom  witnessed.  Those  present  were 
inspired  by  unseen  powers,  and  they  partook  of 
t!ie  prophet's  declaration: 

"Gliul  tidings  for  the  dead;  a  voice  of  gladness 
fcr  the  living  and  the  dead;  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy.  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the 
feet  of  those  that  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things ; 
and  that  say  unto  Zion,  behold!  thy  God  reigneth. 


ANCESTRY  OF  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL  83 

As  the  dews  of  Carmel,  so  shall  the  knowledge  of 
God  descend  upon  them." 

Strange  to  say,  the  same  year  that  the  Kimball 
family  met  at  Fuller's  Hill  Gardens,  Professor  A.  L. 
Morrison,  of  Windom,  New  Hampshire,  whose 
mother  was  a  Kimball,  and  Professor  S.  P.  Shar- 
pies of  Boston,  Mass.,  whose  wife  was  a  Kim- 
ball, at  about  the  same  time  and  unknown  to  each 
other,  both  commenced  work  on  a  genealogical 
history  of  the  Kimball  family  of  America.  Both 
of  these  expert  genealogists  continued  their  la- 
bors for  seven  years  before  they  became  acquainted 
with  each  other.  After  that,  they  became  co- 
workers  and  co-editors  for  three  more  years,  when 
they  had  completed  one  of  the  most  perfect  gen- 
ealogical works  published  up  to  that  time  in  the 
United  States.  It  contains  1278  pages,  and  the 
names  of  17,000  of  Heber  C.  Kimball's  ancestors. 
They  made  the  remarkable  discovery  that  all  of 
the  Kimballs  of  America  were  descendants  of  two 
brothers,  Richard  and  Henry,  who  came  from  Rat- 
tlesden,  Suffolk  County,  England,  to  America,  in 
1634,  on  the  ship  "Elizabeth."  They  visited  the 
old  Kimball  homes  in  that  part  of  England  and 
traced  the  family  name  back  for  500  years.  The 
wealthy  Kimballs  of  the  United  States  furnished 
the  means  to  carry  this  enterprise  through, 
amounting  to  thousands  of  dollars. 

Another  remarkable  coincident  in  connection 
with  this  genealogical  question  was  that  just  pre- 
vious to  the  coming  forth  of  the  Sharpies-Morrison 


84  OTHER  SKETCHES 

publication,  several  representative  members  of  the 
Kimball  family  of  Utah  were  moved  upon  by  the 
spirit  of  the  Lord  to  employ  Brother  B.  F.  Cum- 
mings,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  to  ascertain,  if  possible, 
some  facts  about  Heber  C.  Kimball's  grandfather. 
After  some  time  had  been  spent  by  Brother  Cum- 
mings  in  this  direction,  he  made  the  following  re- 
port: 

"I  have  discovered  that  James  Kimball  of  Brad- 
ford, Mass.,  is  the  grandfather  of  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball, and  he  was  born  at  the  above  mentioned 
place  November  8th,  1736.  He  moved  from  there 
to  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  and  while  living 
there,  married  a  young  lady  whose  given  name  was 
Meribah.  In  1796,  with  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, he  moved  to  Sheldon,  Franklin  County,  Ver- 
mont, where  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
His  children's  names  are  Elizabeth,  John,  Rhoda, 
Dorothy,  Solomon,  Betty,  James,  Moses,  Stephen, 
Cornelia  and  Jessie." 

Brother  Cummings  made  this  important  discov- 
ery just  in  time  to  get  these  facts  printed  in  their 
proper  place  in  the  Sharpies-Morrison  History,  in- 
cluding a  full-page  portrait  of  President  Kimball 
and  a  short  sketch  of  his  life. 

Soon  after  this  genealogical  history  was  pub- 
lished, Hon.  G.  F.  Kimball,  of  Topeka,  Kan.,  com- 
menced the  publication  of  "The  Kimball  Family 
News,"  a  monthly  periodical  of  considerable  impor- 
tance. Each  month  Professors  Morrison  and  Shar- 
pies furnished  for  this  journal  long  lists  of  names, 


ANCESTRY  OF  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL  85 

which  showed  the  number  of  President  Kimball's 
ancestors  to  be  upwards  of  20,QOO.  All  of  these 
that  were  eligible  have  been  baptized  for,  and  up- 
wards of  1,000  males  and  nearly  all  of  the  females 
have  been  endowed. 

The  ancestral  line  of  the  Heber  C.  branch  of  the 
Kimball  family  runs  as  follows :  Solomon  was  the 
father  of  Heber,  and  was  born  in  1770.  His  wife's 
name  was  Anna  Spaulding.  Solomon's  father's 
name  was  James,  and  he  was  born  in  1736.  His 
wife's  given  name  was  Meribah.  James'  father's 
name  was  Jeremiah,  and  he  was  born  in  1707.  His 
wife's  name  was  Elizabeth  Head.  Jeremiah's 
father's  name  was  David,  and  he  was  born  in  1671. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Gage.  David's  father's 
name  was  Benjamin,  who  was  born  in  1637.  His 
wife's  name  was  Mary  Hazelton.  Benjamin's 
father's  name  was  Richard,  the  emigrant,  who  was 
born  at  Rattlesden,  Suffolk  County,  England,  in 
1595.  His  wife's  name  was  Ursula  Scott. 

The  spiritual-minded  members  of  the  Kimball 
family  of  this  intermountain  region  believe  that 
their  illustrious  father,  Heber  Chase  Kimball,  had 
much  to  do  with  the  coming  forth  of  the  genealogi- 
cal history  of  the  Kimball  family  of  America,  and 
all  rejoice  in  the  following  inspired  expressions  of 
the  Prophet  Joseph: 

"Let  the  dead  speak  forth  anthems  of  eternal 
praise  to  the  King  Emmanuel  who  hath  ordained 
before  the  world  was,  that  which  would  enable  us 
to  redeem  them  out  of  their  prison;  for  the  prisoner 
shall  go  free." 


AN  EVENTFUL  LIFE 


Solomon  F.  Kimball  and  his  two  living  sons,  Heber 
and  Famham, 


An  Eventful  Life 

Few  old-time  settlers  of  this  intermountain  re- 
gion have  had  a  more  varied  experience,  along 
certain  lines,  than  has  Brother  Solomon  F.  Kim- 
ball.  When  eight  days  old  he  received  from  Pres- 
ident Brigham  Young  a  blessing  that  fairly  made 
his  little  bones  tremble.  It  closed  with  these 
words:  "Thou  shalt  not  be  a  whit  behind  any  of 
thy  father's  house  in  blessings,  but  shall  receive 
them  in  due  time,  for  thou  shalt  live  and  enjoy  life, 
and  the  angels  shall  have  charge  over  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  have  dominion  over  every  foul  spirit, 
and  over  death  itself,  and  possess  great  treasures 
of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  and  we  seal  you  unto 
your  father  and  mother,  and  bless  you  with  all  the 
blessings  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Amen." 

Brother  Kimball  believes  that  this'blessing  has 
caused  him  much  sorrow  and  trouble,  as  the  evil 
one,  in  every  way  possible,  has  sought  his  destruc- 
tion, in  order  to  prove  that  President  Brigham 
Young  was  a  false  prophet.  To  mention  all  the 
dangers  and  narrow  escapes  from  death  through 
which  he  has  passed  since  that  remarkable  predic- 
tion was  made,  would  fill  a  volume. 

Solomon  is  the  seventh  son  of  Heber  C.  and 
Vilate  M.  Kimball,  and  was  born  at  Winter  Quar- 
ters, Nebraska,  February  2,  1847.  The  following 


90  OTHER  SKETCHES 

lines  were  written  by  his  mother  several  days  after 
his  birth: 

"The  Lord  has  sent  another  son, 

The  seventh  one  that  I  have  borne ; 

His  name  it  shall  be  Solomon, 

As  he  was  called  the  wisest  man. 

I  pray  the  Lord  to  bless  the  lad 

With  wisdom  more  than  Solomon  had ; 

That  he  may  be  the  father  of  lives 

But  not  the  husband  of  so  many  wives, 

For  by  them  he  was  overthrown, 

And  lost  his  heirship  to  the  crown ; 

Through  wisdom  which  he  might  have  gained 

Had  that  great  gift  with  him  remained. 

I  therefore  ask  the  Lord  again, 

A  kingdom  let  my  son  obtain ; 

But  never  let  his  love  for  woman 

Surpass  the  wisdom  God  hath  given  him." 

While  crossing  the  plains  in  1848,  "Solley,"  as 
his  mother  called  him,  took  a  severe  cold  which 
settled  in  one  of  his  lower  limbs,  and  made  him  a 
cripple  for  life.  When  his  parents  reached  the  Salt 
Lake  Valley,  he  was  so  reduced  in  flesh  and 
strength  that  it  was  more  than  three  years  before 
he  was  able  to  walk.  He  had  a  visionary  turn  of 
mind ;  and,  even  in  his  childhood  days,  was  so  sus- 
ceptible to  the  invisible  things  around  him  that  his 
father  called  him  his  spiritual-minded  boy.  Many 
times  he  astonished  his  little  playmates  by  telling 
them  what  they  were  thinking  about.  He  was  a 
lover  of  animals,  and  in  later  years  drove  his  fath- 
er's carriage  hundreds  of  miles  while  the  latter,  in 
company  with  other  Church  officials,  was  making 


AN  EVENTFUL  LIFE  91 

annual  visits  throughout  the  settlements  of  Zion. 

When  the  Black  Hawk  war  of  1866  broke  out, 
Brother  Solomon  was  with  the  first  company  that 
went  to  the  rescue  of  the  panic-stricken  people  of 
Sanpete,  Sevier,  and  Piute  counties,  who  were  be- 
ing pillaged  and  plundered  by  a  band  of  bloodthirsty 
savages,  under  the  able  leadership  of  the  notorious 
renegade,  Chief  Black  Hawk. 

One  year  later,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
mathematical  department  of  the  University  of  Des- 
eret,  a  position  he  held  with  honor  and  credit  until 
the  spring  of  1868.  He  then  went  to  Laramie,  Wy- 
oming, after  merchandise,  and  it  was  here  that  he 
first  learned  of  his  father's  death.  Soon  after  reach- 
ing home  he  went  to  work  on  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  where  he  remained  until  that  national 
highway  was  completed.  In  1869,  he  was  sent  on 
a  mission  to  the  Bear  Lake  country,  where  three 
years  were  spent  in  farming,  freighting  and  rais- 
ing stock.  Most  of  his  time,  during  the  next  five 
years,  was  occupied  in  moving  wild  horses  from 
Antelope  Island,  and  in  carrying  government  mail 
from  Salt  Lake  City  to  the  head  of  Big  Cottonwood 
canyon. 

In  1877,  Solomon  was  called  on  another  mission, 
this  time  to  Arizona,  where  he  led  an  active  life 
for  nine  years.  On  the  10th  of  February,  1881,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Zula  Pomeroy,  the  accom- 
plished daughter  of  Francis  M.  and  Matilda  Pome- 
roy, of  Mesa.  It  was  in  Mesa  that  he  first  became 
interested  in  religious  matters,  and  among  the 


92 


OTHER  SKETCHES 


Church  offices  held  by  him  during  the  next  five 
years  was  ward  clerk,  secretary  of  Sunday  School, 
and  one  of  the  seven  presidents  of  a  Seventies  quo- 
rum. 

On  account  of  poor  health,  Brother  Kimball  was 
released,  in  1886,  from  his  Arizona  mission,  and 
returned  to  his  Salt  Lake  home  well  qualified  for 
the  work  that  Providence  had  marked  out  for  him. 
He  had  no  more  than  reached  Salt  Lake  when  he 
was  moved  upon  by  a  heavenly  influence  to  com- 
mence the  publication  of  his  father's  history.  This 


o 


o 


Solomon  F.  Kimball  (1869)  and  his  wife  Zula  P.  (1880). 


AN  EVENTFUL  LIFE  93 

would  cost  at  least  $4,000  in  cash,  and  where  was 
that  amount  to  come  from !  The  Lord  provided 
the  way.  On  the  hill  back  of  the  old  Kimball  home- 
stead were  four  lots  that  had  been  overlooked  by 
the  family  for  years.  Inspired  by  the  Lord,  Brother 
Solomon  was  not  long  in  discovering  them.  The 
"boom"  of  1900  came,  and  the  lots  were  sold  for 
$4,550  cash.  Under  his  management  his  father's  his- 
tory was  written,  and  five  thousand  copies  pub- 
lished. Three  years  from  that  time  he  had  dis- 
posed of  the  entire  edition  at  a  profit  of  more  than 
$2,000.  With  part  of  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of 
the  lots,  his  father's  private  cemetery  was  improved 
and  beautified  at  a  cost  of  $3,475.  What  cash  re- 
mained was  invested  in  four  life-size  portraits  of 
President  Kimball,  which  were  presented  to  the 
Logan,  Manti,  Salt  Lake  and  St.  George  temples. 
Before  this  work  was  completely  accomplished, 
our  subject  was  sent  for  by  President  Wilford 
Woodruff,  who  made  Solomon  heir  to  his  father's 
house. 

Soon  after  this  honor  was  conferred,  upon  him, 
the  Genealogical  History  of  the  Kimball  Family 
of  America  was  published,  giving  the  names  of 
17,000  of  his  father's  ancestors.  The  temple  work 
was  commenced  at  once;  and  within  seven  years 
all  of  that  number  had  been  baptized  for,  and  5,500 
of  them  endowed. 

Brother  Solomon  has  been  at  the  head  of  every 
important  movement  made  by  the  Kimball  family 
since  his  father's  death,  except  the  work  done  by 


94 


OTHER  SKETCHES 


the  administrators  of  the  estate,  and  his  labors  have 
been  crowned  with  success  in  every  particular. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1892,  joy  came  to 
the  house  of  Brother  Kimball,  when  his  wife  gave 
birth  to  twins,  and  this  happiness  was  followed  by 
grief  nine  days  later  when  his  beloved  wife,  Zula, 
died.  Those  were  days  of  sorrow  for  Brother  Sol- 
omon, as  four  of  his  children  died  within  three  years 
from  that  time.  Farnham,  Heber  and  Helen  still 
survive  their  mother,  and  all  have  families  and  are 
doing  well. 

During  the  fall  of  1890,  Solomon  became  a  home 
missionary  in  the  Salt  Lake  Stake  of  Zion,  a  posi- 
tion he  held  for  more  than  eight  years.  He  was 


Meriba  and  Helen  Kimball,  daughters  of  Solomon 
F.  Kimball. 


AN  EVENTFUL  LIFE 


95 


one  of  the  presidents  of  the  Thirteenth  Quorum  of 
Seventies  at  the  time,  but  later  was  ordained  a 
High  Priest. 

During  the  spring  of  1893,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Caroline  Fillerup,  the  oldest  daughter  of  An- 
drew P.  and  Caroline  Fillerup,  of  Provo.  She  was 
a  graduate  of  the  Brigham  Young  Academy,  as 
well  as  a  first-class  housekeeper,  which  was  greatly 
appreciated  by  Brother  Kimball  and  his  mother- 
less children. 

It  was  in  1906  that  Brother  Solomon  first  com- 
menced to  write,  and  since  that  time  he  has  writ- 
ten upwards  of  thirty  articles  for  the  "Improve- 
ment Era,"  besides  publishing  his  little  book, 
"Thrilling  Experiences." 


Solomon  F.  Kimball  and  wife,  Caroline  F.  Kimball,  1890, 


SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS 


Caroline  F.  Kimball,  unfc  of  Solomon  F.  Kimball,  1898. 


Spiritual-Mindedness 

The  Lord  in  his  wisdom  has  so  veiled  the  heav- 
ens that  any  communication  from  the  spirit  world 
is  greatly  appreciated  when  it  comes  from  the  right 
source.  Having  had  some  experience  in  this  mat- 
ter, I  will  relate  a  few  circumstances  that  have 
taken  place  in  my  own  life. 

As  near  as  I  can  remember,  my  first  spiritual  ex- 
perience took  place  when  I  was  about  five  years 
old.  One  beautiful  spring  morning,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  a  heavenly  influence,  I  was  led  to  a  shady 
little  nook  near  the  mouth  of  City  Creek  Canyon. 
My  spiritual  ears  were  then  opened,  and  for  an  hour 
or  two  I  listened  to  the  most  beautiful  music  that 
I  had  ever  heard.  After  it  ceased  I  returned  home 
and  related  to  my  parents  what  had  occurred,  and 
after  that  they  called  me  their  spiritual-minded 
boy. 

A  year  or  two  later,  during  recovery  from  a 
severe  spell  of  sickness,  I  was  royally  entertained 
by  a  spiritual  personage  who  for  several  hours 
filled  my  mind  with  clean  but  amusing  stories  that 
kept  me  laughing  the  whole  time.  I  had  experi- 
enced manifestations  of  this  nature  on  other  occa- 
sions, but  not  to  so  great  an  extent. 

As  I  grew  older,  I  experienced  various  kinds  of 
manifestations  that  often  caused  me  to  wonder 


100  OTHER  SKETCHES 

whence  they  came.  For  instance,  as  soon  as 
the  first  fruits  of  the  season  commenced  to  ripen,  a 
secret  something  made  these  things  known  unto 
me,  even  indicating  the  exact  places -where  they 
could  be  found.  Consequently,  myself  and  bosom 
companions  were  the  first  to  enjoy  the  early  fruits 
from  my  father's  numerous  orchards  and  gardens. 

Many  times  I  amused  my  little  bed-fellows  by 
telling  them  what  they  dreamed  about  during  the 
night,  since  I  nearly  always  dreamed  the  same 
things  that  they  did.  I  made  this  discovery  while 
sleeping  with  my  brother  Brigham,  who  was  two 
years  older  than  I. 

Whatever  was  happening  about  the  neighbor- 
hood in  the  way  of  socials,  my  spiritual  friends 
made  it  known  to  me,  and  I  was  generally  present 
on  time  to  receive  my  share  of  the  good  things. 
Sometimes  it  caused  considerable  merriment  when 
I  dropped  in  among  my  friends  just  as  they  were 
passing  the  refreshments  around. 

Another  gift  I  possessed  was  the  ability  to  read 
my  fellows'  thoughts.  Sometimes,  when  every- 
thing was  quiet,  I  could  tell  them  what  they  were 
thinking  about.  I  will  mention  one  case,  as  the 
person  is  still  living  and  often  reminds  me  of  it.  I 
was  sleeping  with  George  Judd,  at  my  father's 
Grantsville  ranch.  As  we  lay  meditating  for  some 
time,  I  said  to  him,  "George,  I  can  tell  you  what 
you  are  thinking  about."  He  said,  "No;  I  don't 
believe  you  can."  I  said,  "You  are  thinking  about 
that  Newfoundland  dog  that  barked  at  us  last  eve- 


SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS  101 

ning,  as  we  were  passing  through  Grantsville."  He 
said,  "Yes;  that  is  so;  but  how  in  the  world  did 
you  know?" 

After  I  had  grown  to  manhood  these  gifts 
proved  of  great  benefit  to  me  in  many  respects. 
They  revealed  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  wicked 
men's  hearts,  who  were  laying  their  plans  to  injure 
or  destroy  me.  Many  times  my  life  has  been  spared 
by  listening  to  the  promptings  of  the  spirit,  even 
in  relation  to  poisonous  reptiles.  In  1884,  when 
a  small  company  of  us  were  on  our  way  from  Ari- 
zona to  St.  George,  Utah,  while  traveling  up  the 
Grand  Gulch,  one  dark  night,  the  spirit  suddenly 
warned  me  of  danger  ahead !  The  road  was  rough, 
and  our  wagons  were  keeping  up  a  terrible  clatter- 
ing. Brother  C.  I.  Robinson  and  I  were  walking  in 
the  road  together  just  ahead  of  the  teams.  As 
quick  as  thought  I  jerked  him  back.  I  then  lit  a 
match,  and  there  lay  in  the  road  a  large  rattle- 
snake, all  ready  to  spring  at  us ! 

The  most  remarkable  experiences  that  I  ever 
passed  through,  occurred  during  the  nine  years  that 
I  lived  in  Arizona.  The  first  event  of  importance 
took  place  in  October,  1877.  After  crossing  a 
seventy-five  mile  desert  with  ox  teams,  my  spiritual 
ears  were  opened,  to  my  sorrow.  From  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  until  daylight  the  next  morning, 
while  driving  our  jaded  animals  up  a  sandy  wash 
in  search  of  water,  I  listened  to  a  Satanic  string 
band  that  caused  every  fiber  in  my  dejected  body 
to  quiver.  The  deep,  doleful,  lonesome  sound  al- 


102  OTHER  SKETCHES 

most  drove  me  wild,  while  my  swollen  tongue  was 
protruding  from  my  burning  mouth.  Every  part 
of  that  horrible  dirge  was  perfectly  played,  inter- 
preting, most  excellently,  the  terrible  ordeal 
through  which  I  was  passing,  causing  my  mind  to 
suffer  more  intensely  than  my  body,  if  such  a  thing 
were  possible.  Those  dismal  sounds  rumble  in  my 
ears  to  this  day,  causing  me  to  shudder  when  I 
think  of  it! 

On  the  other  hand,  I  have  heard  spiritual  music 
that  was  so  far  ahead  of  anything  earthly  that  I 
ever  listened  to  that  comparison  cannot  be  made. 
These  angelic  musicals  were  generally  given  after 
passing  through  long  sieges  of  hardships,  disap- 
pointments, and  homesickness.  Then,  when  every- 
thing was  going  well  with  me,  I  could  feel  heav- 
enly influences  gathering  around  until  I  sometimes 
felt  as  if  I  was  floating  in  mid-air.  I  believe  it  was 
my  departed  relatives  and  friends  who,  out  of  sym- 
pathy, had  come  to  bring  me  cheer.  On  such  oc- 
casions their  presence  was  generally  accompanied 
by  celestial  music. 

While  life  lasts,  I  will  never  forget  one  occasion 
of  this  kind,  that  took  place  during  the  late  spring 
of  1878.  After  crossing  a  dreary  desert  waste,  I 
came  into  a  beautiful  valley,  the  surroundings  of 
which  were  most  enchanting.  The  road  for  miles 
ahead,  was  almost  as  level  as  a  barn  floor,  and 
weather  conditions  were  simply  perfect.  There  was 
not  a  living  soul  within  ten  miles  of  where  I  was, 
and  it  was  so  still  that  my  animals  started  at  the 


SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS  103 

least  sound.  About  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  felt 
the  presence  of  my  spiritual  friends  gathering 
around,  and  soon  after,  some  distance  away,  I  heard 
beautiful  music.  It  was  a  heavenly  orchestra  play- 
ing a  grand  march.  The  whole  heavens  seemed  to 
resound  with  sweet  melodies,  there  being  nothing 
to  mar  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion  until  I  drove 
into  camp  for  the  night.  Then  the  music  ceased, 
my  spiritual  friends  departed,  leaving  everything 
around  me  as  silent  as  death. 

I  was  then  overcome  with  grief  and  left  to  my- 
self to  meditate  upon  where  I  was  and  where  I 
might  have  been,  had  I  lived  up  to  my  privileges. 
I  fed  and  watered  my  animals,  turned  them  out  to 
grass,  and  then  crawled  into  bed,  where  I  cried 
myself  to  sleep. 


RESULTS  OF  SABBATH-BREAKING 


Results  of  Sabbath-Breaking 

The  Lord  has  made  it  known  unto  us  that  we  are 
conceived  in  sin;  that  when  we  begin  to  grow  up, 
sin  conceiveth  in  our  hearts  and  we  taste  the  bitter 
that  we  may  know  how  to  prize  the  sweet. 

The  worst  sin  conceived  in  my  heart  while  I  was 
growing  up  was  Sabbath-breaking.  When  I  first 
commenced  to  violate  the  fourth  commandment,  the 
bitter  was  given  to  me  in  a  mild  form,  such  as  slight 
injuries,  tumbling  into  creeks,  tearing  my  clothing, 
and  getting  a  well-deserved  spanking  at  times. 

As  I  grew  older  the  penalty  became  more  severe, 
such  as  being  thrown  from  horses,  kicked  by-mules, 
hooked  by  cows,  bitten  by  dogs,  and  many  other 
experiences  of  a  similar  nature.  While  these  bitter 
pills  were  being  administered  to  me,  with  clock- 
work regularity,  I  was  doing  all  in  my  power  to 
make  myself  believe  that  Sabbath-breaking  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it,  but  found  it  very  difficult. 

In  1869,  a  small  company  of  us  boys  settled  in 
the  Bear  Lake  country,  and  commenced  to  build 
homes.  This  was  the  first  time  that  we  had  every- 
thing our  own  way,  and  a  jollier  lot  of  Sabbath- 
breakers  probably  never  lived.  All  days  were  the 
same  to  us,  and  especially  Sunday;  for  that  was 
the  day  of  all  other  days  that  we  turned  ourselves 


108 


OTHER  SKETCHES 


loose  in  the  full  meaning  of  the  word.  It  was  Sun- 
day when  we  reached  our  Bear  Lake  home.  It  was 
Sunday  when  we  took  possession.  It  was  Sunday 
when  we  surveyed  our  land.  It  was  Sunday  when 
we  laid  out  our  town.  It  was  Sunday  when  my 


Tom  Williams  and  Jed  and  Hod  Kimball. 

brother  David  H.  and  I  drove  home  from  the 
canyon  so  rapidly  that  I  was  thrown  from  my 
wagon  and  nearly  killed.  We  lightly  laid  it  to 
carelessness,  but  it  was  weeks  before  I  was  able  to 
go  to  work. 

David  and  I  each  had  a  load  of  logs  in  the  can- 
yon ready  to  haul,  and,  as  soon  as  I  was  well 
enough  we  went  after  them.  As  I  was  loading  my 
wagon,  my  fingers  were  caught  between  two  logs 


RESULTS  OF  SABBATH-BREAKING  109 

and  I  was  unable  to  extricate  them.  I  yelled  for 
help,  but  received  no  answer.  While  suffering  with 
my  three  mashed  fingers  I  was  forcibly  reminded 
that  it  was  just  five  weeks  to  a  day  since  I  was 
thrown  from  my  wagon,  and  now  I  was  again  in  a 
worse  predicament  than  ever.  As  soon  as  David 
had  loaded  his  wagon,  he  came  strolling  up  the 
canyon  to  find  me  in  this  pitiable  plight.  He  pried 
my  fingers  loose,  and  I  was  soon  on  my  way  home 
with  the  words,  "Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy,"  everlastingly  ringing  in  my  ears.  A 
month  passed  before  I  could  use  my  hand. 

I  was  so  far  behind  with  my  work,  by  this  time, 
that  I  hardly  knew  which  way  to  turn.  My  barn 
was  up  to  the  square,  and  I  was  very  anxious  to 
get  it  under  cover  before  winter;  hence,  I  thought- 
lessly went  to  work  on  it  one  Sunday  morning.  As 
I  was  hewing  a  log  above  my  head,  my  ax  glanced 
and  came  down  on  my  right  foot,  cutting  its  way 
through  the  main  joint  of  my  big  toe.  I  feared  I 
might  bleed  to  death,  for  there  was  not  a  doctor 
within  fifty  miles  of  the  place.  I  was  disabled  for 
weeks,  and  it  seemed  to  me  a  miracle  that  I  lived. 

For  a  long  time  after  that  I  moved  about  with 
considerable  care  on  Sundays,  for  I  was  convinced 
that  the  Lord  was  terribly  in  earnest  when  he 
thundered  the  fourth  commandment  into  the  ears 
of  the  children  of  Israel.  These  incidents  worked  a 
reformation  throughout  the  whole  camp,  but  boy- 
like  we  soon  again  forgot. 

Two  years  later,  Manasseh  Williams  and  I  went 


110  OTHER  SKETCHES 

to  Salt  Lake  City  after  supplies.  We  loaded  our 
wagon  on  Saturday  night  and  started  for  home 
Sunday  morning.  As  I  was  driving  over  a  bad 
place,  I  lost  my  balance  and  fell  to  the  ground. 
Two  wheels  passed  over  my  lower  limbs,  and  I  was 
again  disabled  for  a  month.  I  never  could  quite 
understand  how  it  was  that  the  evil  one  always 
picked  on  me,  unless  it  was  on  account  of  my  par- 
ents being  so  much  opposed  to  Sabbath-breaking. 
I  finally  became  a  close  observer  of  the  Sabbath 
day,  and,  considering  my  restless  disposition,  my 
conduct  became  quite  praiseworthy. 

I  was  born  in  the  wilderness,  while  our  people 
were  on  their  way  to  the  west,  and  must  have  par- 
taken of  the  pioneer  spirit  to  a  great  extent.  I 
wanted  to  move  all  the  time.  The  rougher  the 
surroundings  the  better  I  enjoyed  them.  I  relished 
boiled  crow  in  the  mountains  better  than  boiled 
beef  at  home.  Civilization  gave  me  the  blues,  and 
attending  to  school  was  slow  torture.  With  such 
a  disposition,  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  live  my  re- 
ligion. 

The  next  Sunday,  in  company  with  several  com- 
panions, I  visited  Edington's  brewery.  While  we 
were  having  the  time  of  our  lives,  a  crazy  man 
entered  the  place,  carefully  scanned  the  crowd, 
singled  me  out,  of  course,  stepped  within  a  few 
feet  of  where  I  stood,  drew  from  his  belt  a  big  gun, 
and  without  batting  an  eye,  banged  away  at  my 
breast.  My  left  hand  happened  to  be  in  front  of 
me  when  he  shot.  As  quick  as  thought  I  threw  it 


RESULTS  OF  SABBATH-BREAKING  111 

up,  and  caught  the  ball  in  my  hand,  where  it  re- 
mained for  several  hundred  Sundays. 

After  thinking  matters  over,  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  carousing  around  beer  gardens,  on 
Sundays  was  not  keeping  the  Sabbath  day  holy, 
so  went  home  and  read  everything  on  "Mormon- 
ism"  in  the  house.  It  went  so  hard  with  me  that 
every  friend  I  met  wanted  to  know  what  in  the 
world  was  the  matter,  and  were  not  slow  in  recom- 
mending change  of  climate.  The  "Old  Nick,"  who 
had  been  camping  on  my  tracks  for  years,  undoubt- 
edly said,  "Yes,  that  is  just  what  is  needed  to  bring 
him  out  of  the  kinks,  and  by  the  time  I  get  through 
with  him  he  will  be  glad  to  get  back  to  a  place 
where  they  keep  the  Sabbath  day  holy." 

I  soon  found  myself  driving  an  ox  team  over 
the  worst  road  in  Arizona,  with  blisters  on  my  feet 
as  big  as  boiled  beans.  Here  I  remained  for  nine 
years,  passing  through  experiences  that  many  times 
made  me  wish  I  had  been  a  better  boy.  This  God- 
forsaken country  sure  enough  was  the  Sabbath- 
breakers'  paradise,  for  Sunday  was  never  heard  of. 
For  the  first  four  years  I  was  alone  most  of  the 
time,  as  far  as  the  human  family  were,  concerned, 
otherwise  I  had  company  to  spare.  In  my  new 
quarters  lived  nine  different  kinds  of  rattle-snakes 
that  were  always  looking  for  a  row.  Also  millions 
of  ringed,  streaked  and  striped  lizards,  ranging  in 
size  from  the  tiny  chameleon  to  the  venomous 
Gila  monster.  There  were  also  interesting  vari- 
eties of  spiders,  centipedes,  scorpions,  horned-toads 


112  OTHER  SKETCHES 

and  tarantulas  by  the  trillions.  One  could 
scarcely  move  without  infringing  upon  the  rights 
of  something.  I  counted  forty-four  different  kinds 
of  cactus  in  one  day,  and  every  last  one  of 
them  had  a  chip  on  its  shoulder.  Spanish  bay- 
onets, bristling  "benyons,"  prickly  pears,  and 
pointed  "penders;"  needle-necks,  nail-kegs,  cat's- 
claws,  thistle-foxtail,  desert-thistle,  and  a  thousand 
other  thorny  things  that  kept  me  jumping.  The 
craggy  peaks,  the  savage  red  man,  the  wild  beasts, 
the  dreary  wastes,  the  parched  ground,  the  sandy 
deserts,  and  a  hundred  other  horrid  things  that 
made  me  wince  and  wonder!  I  was  on  the  ragged 
edge  of  despair  all  the  time.  Chasing  hostile  In- 
dians over  Utah  hills  was  a  pleasure  in  comparison 
to  this  life.  My  rampant  spirit  was  subdued  long 
before  my  pardon  came,  and  I  was  ready  to  serve 
God  and  keep  his  commandments  when  it  did  come. 
I  was  anxious  to  get  home  and  take  up  my  labors 
on  father's  history,  where  I  left  off,  as  well  as  to 
look  after  other  important  matters  pertaining  to 
his  affairs.  These  sacred  duties  weighed  heavily 
upon  my  mind,  as  I  could  begin  to  understand  the 
meaning  of  certain  blessings  conferred  upon  me  by 
the  Prophet  Brigham,  when  I  was  eight  days  old. 
A  change  from  the  bitter  to  the  sweet  was  at 
hand,  and  I  was  ready  for  the  change.  Justice  and 
judgment  were  satisfied,  and  mercy  claimed  her 
own.  I  was  almost  smothered  with  the  spirit  of 
repentance,  and  began  to  cry  mightily  unto  the 
Lord  for  help.  After  I  had  exhausted  all  the  en- 


RESULTS  OF  SABBATH-BREAKING  113 

ergy  that  lay  within  my  power,  deliverance  came. 
I  at  once  joined  the  Mesa  ward,  as  directed  by  the 
Spirit,  and  was  soon  following  the  narrow  path  that 
leads  to  life  eternal.  After  providing  for  my  fam- 
ily's wants  I  asked  the  Lord  to  give  me  an  under- 
standing of  the  gospel,  little  realizing  the  way  in 
which  my  prayer  would  be  answered. 

I  soon  felt  my  strength  giving  way,  and  for  the 
next  four  years  I  was  unable  to  do  more  than  six 
months'  work.  I  took  hold  of  my  religious  studies 
with  a  vim,  and  the  way  the  scriptures  were  un- 
folded to  my  mind  was  nothing  short  of  marvel- 
ous. I  almost  committed  to  memory  the  New  Tes- 
tament, the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  the  "Pearl 
of  Great  Price,"  "Key  to  Theology"  and  the  "Voice 
of  Warning."  I  read  everything  on  church  doc- 
trine that  I  could  obtain  and  received  manifesta- 
tions that  were  truly  wonderful.  I  was  so  inter- 
ested in  my  studies  that  I  could  hardly  sleep  nights. 
After  I  had  sufficiently  humbled  myself  before  the 
Lord  and  stored  my  mind  with  useful  knowledge, 
I  was  allowed  to  return  home. 


A  MIRACULOUS  ESCAPE 


A  Miraculous  Escape 

During  the  latter  part  of  May,  1861,  my  father 
sent  me  to  Grantsville  with  a  herd  of  cows.  The 
horse  I  rode  was  an  overgrown,  somewhat  skittish 
colt.  For  the  first  mile  or  two,  I  was  unable  to 
get  the  cows  started,,  on  account  of  the  many  side- 
streets,  so  I  persuaded  a  number  of  my  little 
brothers  to  give  me  a  helping  hand.  They  were 
warmly  dressed,  and  after  walking  some  distance 
asked  me  to  carry  their  coats,  which  I  did  by  plac- 
ing them  on  the  saddle  in  front  of  me. 

As  I  was  riding  along  in  a  careless  manner,  one 
of  the  coats  fell  to  the  ground,  frightening  my 
horse.  He  suddenly  leered  to  one  side  and  threw 
rne  off.  As  I  fell,  my  left  foot  slipped  through 
the  stirrup,  and  I  was  unable  to  extricate  it.  At 
break-neck  speed  the  animal  started  towards  Ante- 
lope Island,  kicking  at  me  with  both  feet  at  every 
jump.  He  ran  so  fast  that  I  hardly  touched  the 
ground,  and  all  I  could  feel  was  the  sharp  grease- 
wood  combing  my  hair  as  I  whizzed  by. 

My  thoughts  were  perfectly  rational  and,  as  my 
life  on  many  other  occasions  had  been  spared  in  a 
miraculous  manner,  I  wondered  if  the  Lord  would 
do  anything  for  me  on  this  occasion.  I  had  no  time 
to  get  frightened,  but  was  becoming  terribly  nerv- 
ous, as  the  colt's  heels  were  cutting  dangerously 
close  to  me.  The  animal  was  strong  enough  to 


118  OTHER  SKETCHES 

drag  an  ox,  and  the  saddle  would  never  give  way 
under  the  weight  of  a  stripling  lad  like  me.  I 
realized  this,  and  had  about  given  up  all  hopes  of 
escape  when  the  horse  kicked  one  of  his  hind  feet 
through  the  other  stirrup,  and  threw  himself  to 
the  ground,  at  the  same  time  breaking  the  stir- 
rup strap.  As  quick  as  thought  I  wrenched  my 
foot  from  the  other  stirrup.  I  had  no  sooner  done 
so  than  the  colt  was  on  his  feet  again  and  going 
faster  than  ever. 

My  little  brothers  came  running  to  my  assistance 
and  were  astonished  to  find  that  I  had  received 
scarcely  a  scratch.  A  couple  of  horsemen,  passing 
by,  caught  my  fleeing  steed,  and  in  a  short  time  I 
was  on  my  way  again,  praising  the  Lord  for  pre- 
serving my  life  in  such  a  miraculous  manner. 


A  BLESSING  IN  DISGUISE 


L'BRARY 


Solomon  F.  Kimball. 


A  Blessing  in  Disguise 

During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1889,  I  was  trou- 
bled with  a  tingling,  itching  sensation  under  my 
left  eye,  but  paid  little  attention  to  it,  thinking  it 
would  soon  cease.  It  finally  developed  into  a  pain- 
ful, deep-seated  sore,  the  roots  of  which  I  could 
plainly  feel  spreading  over  the  left  side  of  my  face 
in  every  direction.  I  finally  became  alarmed  and 
consulted  an  eminent  cancer  specialist,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  spending  a  few  days  in  our  city.  He 
informed  me  that  it  was  a  cancer  of  the  worst  type, 
and  the  result  would  be  disastrous,  unless  it  were 
attended  to  at  once.  He  gave  me  some  ointment 
to  rub  over  it,  and  set  the  time  when  he  would 
remove  it  from  my  face. 

The  next  day  I  was  driving  a  nail  into  a  hard 
piece  of  wood.  It  flew  out,  and  the  point  of  it 
struck  me  in  the  left  eye,  inflicting  a  painful  wound. 
Doctor  W.  T.  Cannon  happened  to  be  present  at 
the  time,  and  advised  me  to  see  an  occulist,  and 
have  it  attended  to,  which  I  did.  Doctor  Ira  Lyons 
treated  it  every  day  for  several  weeks,  and  the 
pain  during  that  time  was  very  severe.  Each  day 
I  saturated  a  piece  of  medicated  cotton  with  con- 
secrated oil  and  bound  it  over  my  afflicted  eye. 
This  was  the  only  substantial  relief  I  could  get. 
However,  my  eye  continued  to  get  worse,  and  the 
doctor  finally  decided  to  remove  it,  as  it  had  com- 


122  OTHER  SKETCHES 

menced  to  affect  the  sight  of  the  other  eye.  He  set 
the  time  for  the  operation,  Sunday,  that  being  a 
quiet  day. 

I  belonged  to  what  was  then  known  as  the  "Pres- 
ident Taylor  Prayer  Circle,"  which  met  in  the  His- 
torian's office  every  Sunday  morning.  I  went  there 
that  day  with  feelings  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed, and  related  to  the  brethren  of  the  circle 
what  was  about  to  take  place.  Brother  Joseph 
Home  was  in  charge,  and  there  was  a  goodly  at- 
tendance. After  Brother  Hamilton  G.  Park  of- 
fered up  an  inspired  prayer,  Bishop  Whitney 
anointed  me  with  consecrated  oil.  Then  as  many  of 
•the  brethren  as  could  get  around,  placed  their 
hands  upon  my  head,  and  Bishop  Alexander  McRae 
gave  me  one  of  the  most  powerful  blessings  that 
I  ever  received.  In  the  name  of  the  Lord  he  re- 
buked the  pain,  and  promised  that  my  eye  should 
be  healed  from  that  very  moment,  and  every  one 
present  said,  "Amen."  iThe  fervent  prayers  of 
these  righteous  men  prevailed,  and  my  afflicted  eye 
was  made  whole. 

With  a  light  heart  and  cheerful  countenance,  I 
went  to  Doctor  Lyon's  office.  He  examined  my 
eye,  and  with  wonder  exclaimed,  "What  in  the 
world  has  happened?  Your  eye  is  all  right."  I 
had  suffered  such  intense  pain  with  it  that  I  had  al- 
most forgotten  about  the  cancer.  The  consecrated 
oil  had  in  the  meantime  killed  it,  root  and  branch, 
not  even  leaving  a  scar.  The  next  day  I  went  to 
see  the  cancer  specialist,  and  when  I  explained  mat- 


A  BLESSING  IN  DISGUISE 


123 


ters  to  him,  he  was  greatly  surprised.  He  was  so 
pleased  with  my  statement  that  he  presented  me 
with  a  watch  charm  which  I  have  kept  to  this  day, 
and  shall  always  keep  as  a  sacred  remembrance  of 
that  remarkable  event. 


Patriarchal  Blessings 


BLESSING  GIVEN  TO  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL 

By  Patriarch  Hyrum  Smith,  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois, 

March  9,  1842 

Brother  Heber :  I  lay  my  hands  upon  your  head 
in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  bless  you  according  to  your  calling,  which  is 
spiritual,  and  according  to  your  station  and  lineage 
and  magnanimity,  honor  and  nobility  of  your  blood, 
as  it  hath  descended  in  a  true  lineal  descent  from 
your  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  by  which 
you  are  blessed  with  their  faith,  which  is  the  faith 
of  faithful  Abraham  to  believe  and  to  endure  all 
things,  with  patience.  The  same  has  been  a  great 
preservation  to  sustain  you  and  to  inspire  your 
heart  unto  obedience,  to  receive  the  promises  which 
were  obtained,  and  the  blessings  which  were  to 
come  upon  their  children,  the  same  to  be  placed 
upon  your  head,  which  blessings  hath  swollen  your 
heart  unto  greatness  and  with  gratitude  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  The  same  shall  crown  you  with  every 
blessing  spiritually  and  temporally;  spiritually  by 
that  Priesthood  which  is  your  right  with  all  its  qual- 
ifying powers  of  which  you  have  received  a  fore- 
taste, but  you  shall  be  blessed  with  a  fulness,  and 
shall  be  not  one  whit  behind  the  chiefest. 

As  an  apostle,  you  shall  stand  in  the  presence  of 


126  OTHER  SKETCHES 

God  to  judge  the  people,  and  as  a  Prophet  you  shall 
attain  to  the  honor  of  the  three ;  and  shall  prophesy, 
and  the  power  of  God  shall  attend  your  labors,  and 
crown  you  with  honor  and  great  success,  and  bring 
salvation  to  millions.  Your  heart  shall  be  inspired 
with  inspiration,  even  the  inspiration  of  the  Al- 
mighty, henceforth  and  forever;  and  for  your  evils 
you  shall  be  chastened  and  loved  and  cherished  and 
made  an  instrument  to  cherish  and  to  love  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth;  the  works  of  your  creation 
that  are  like  unto  yourself,  which  are  the  works  of 
God's  hands,  standing  forth  with  the  power  of  sal- 
vation, having  attained  the  Holy  Seal  of  promise  as 
one  that  is  chosen  and  sealed  unto  eternal  life. 

For  this  are  you  called  and  chosen  and  sealed, 
for  the  Hand  of  God  is  with  you  to  prosper  you,  and 
to  save  you  and  your  house,  even  to  the  uttermost, 
and  to  your  father's  house,  for  they  shall  bow  at 
the  shrine  of  Jehovah  when  you  shall  lift  your  voice 
and  stretch  out  your  arm  in  their  midst,  that  re- 
main, and  the  residue  shall  be  redeemed ;  for  the 
arm  of  Jehovah  is  extended,  stretched  out  in  mercy 
to  prosper  you,  firm  as  a  decree,  unalterable,  and 
none  shall  stay  his  hands. 

Therefore,  cheer  up  your  heart,  for  the  blessings 
of  salvation,  spiritual  and  temporal,  are  yours. 
You  have  a  right  to  the  anointing  and  the  endow- 
ment, and  the  testimony  of  the  last  days,  as  a 
pruner  of  the  vineyard,  to  seal  up  the  law  and  bind 
up  the  testimony,  and  to  an  inheritance  in  the 
lineage  of  your  fathers,  which  is  in  Ephraim,  and 


PATRIARCHAL    BLESSINGS  127 

to  possess  the  same  in  eternity,  and  to  stand  wait- 
ing for  your  reward  at  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man,  for  his  reward  shall  be  with  him.  These  are 
the  blessings  I  seal  upon  your  head,  even  so,  Amen. 

James  Sloan,  Clerk. 

BLESSING  GIVEN  TO  VILATE  M.  KIMBALL 

By  Patriarch  Hyrum  Smith,  at  Nauvoo,   Illinois, 
March  9,  1842 

Beloved  Sister :  I  lay  my  hands  upon  your  head 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  seal  you  unto  eternal  life 
—sealed  here  on  earth  and  sealed  in  heaven,  and 
your  name  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life 
never  to  be  blotted  out. 

The  same  is  mentioned  and  manifested  to  com- 
fort your  heart,  and  to  be  a  comfort  unto  you  hence- 
forth all  your  clays.  It  is  even  a  promise  according 
to  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  shall  bear 
record  of  the  truth;  the  same  is  called  the  Second 
Comforter,  not  his  presence,  but  his  promise.  The 
same  is  as  immutable  as  an  oath  by  Himself,  be- 
cause there  is  none  greater,  and  there  is  no  greater 
promise  nor  no  greater  blessing  that  can  be  given, 
and  no  greater  riches,  it  being  the  riches  of  eter- 
nity, which  are  the  greatest  riches  of  all  riches. 

These  are  your  blessings ;  and  also  you  shall  be 
blessed  with  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
with  a  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  God,  and 
fellowship  with  the  Saints,  and  share  in  the  glory, 
the  honor  and  every  blessing  touching  your  inherit- 


128  OTHER  SKETCHES 

ance  and  lineage  with  and  in  common  with  your 
husband,  receiving  the  mysteries  of  God  through 
the  Key  of  Knowledge  which  is  sealed  upon  his 
head. 

As  to  your  temporal  blessings,  they  shall  be  in 
common  with  your  husband,  for  you  shall  prosper 
in  all  your  avocations  in  life,  and  your  name  shall 
be  perpetuated  in  honor  by  your  posterity  unto  the 
latest  generation;  and  you  shall  be  blessed  with 
long  life,  even  according  to  the  desire  which  is  in 
your  heart.  You  shall  see  much  of  the  salvation  of 
God,  and  shall  be  crowned  in  the  end  together,  in 
the  glorious  resurrection  of  the  just,  at  the  sound  of 
the  first  trump,  or  at  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
These  blessings  I  seal  upon  your  head,  even  so, 
Amen. 

James  Sloan,  Clerk. 


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